The Raven's Path
by theresnomeaning
Summary: AU. James Potter blames his younger son, Harry, for his wife's death; abusing him and leading the boy to a dark path. Harry will find love in a new family and strenght with his friends, all the while taking revenge. Warnings: Drarry. Severitus. Dark themes. OOCness Abuse, rape, torture, violence, suicidal themes and self harm.
1. The Amusing Friends of Draco Malfoy

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, he would turn dark, Severus Snape would be ALIVE at the end of DH and Dumbledore would be crucioed into insanity by Bellatrix. ^^ **

**IMPORTANT!**

**Some explanations:**

**1) There was never the Prophecy, Voldemort never attacked the Potters (or Longbottons). Lily died at Harry's birth.**

**2) Voldemort is much more sane on this fic. There is no open prejudice against muggleborns professed by him or his followers. He has, however, some ideas that involves taking muggleborn children as soon as possible from their muggle parents and giving them to proper wizarding families and he does not like the way muggleborns tend to think like muggles and symphatize with them. He does hate muggles. And I am not saying that Voldy is nice, mind you.**

**3) Harry and Hermione are Ravenclaws.**

**4) This story will contain slash. Be warned!**

**5) The story starts at summer before Harry's sixth year.**

**Please R&R :)**

**Chapter 1: The Amusing Friends of Draco Malfoy**

Draco Malfoy was pacing around his room. He knew that his friend was in trouble, the charmed bracelet he had on his right wrist was glowing, indicating that his friend, Harry Potter, was in physical peril. And by the colour of the glow - a dark shade of gray - it was really, really bad. Draco was beyond worried, he was terrified. He had sent a letter to Hermione asking if she knew something more about their friend, but she replied as worried as the blonde boy.

Harry Potter lived with his older brother, Liam and his father - James Potter, who didn't very much like his youngest son. The reason for that was because his wife, Lily, had died at Harry's birth - so James blamed the boy. The Potter lord had an alcohol problem as well; when he was drunk he would often hit and curse Harry. Life was hell for the youngest Potter. The dislike his father had for him was spread to his brother, so he essentially lived alone during summers, confined in his room reading books and praying to the gods that James didn't drink. None of his closest friends could come visit him, because James didn't approve of them. Draco Malfoy was a Slytherin and son of a (suspected) Death Eater; Hermione Granger was a muggleborn, Ravenclaw like Harry, who wanted to know everything she could about Magic - even if it was dark, so she also wasn't considered a proper companion.

Right now Harry was lying on the floor beside his bed; he didn't have strength to get up. Today was really bad, James found out a secret - that Harry was gay - so he used everything he could to hurt the boy. _Everything_. The sight of the youngest Potter was horrific. There was blood, a lot of it, and he was shaking terribly - a result of multiple Cruciatus Curses. Who would think that the Head Auror did that to a child? Yes, nobody would believe him besides Harry's friends, and that's why Harry never tried to tell the authorities. After all, once he was seventeen he could get out of that house. He could work with warding - as he was a genius in Arithmancy and Runes, so genial that even the Dark Lord has shown interest on recruiting him. Right now, however, he was unsure whether he would survive to seventeen. James had used a lot of cutting and breaking bones curses, and Harry had lost a lot of blood. He could feel his fingers going numb. He had sent a letter to Draco asking for help, because he feared he would die without a rescue, and he didn't want to die.

_Dragon, _

_I am terribly sorry for interrupting your summer, but I really need your help. James got me really bad and I fear I might not survive this time, he even used the Cruciatus Curse and hell, it really hurts!_

_James and Liam are not here and I weakened the wards._

_Harry._

Draco was almost crying, his stoic Malfoy mask nowhere to be found. He needed his father, but he was in their study, having a meeting with the Dark Lord. Oh Merlin! He thought about asking Severus Snape, his godfather for help, but the man absolutely hated Harry and would probably use his home life to mock him even more during classes.

So Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, in an ultimate Gryffindor act, opened the study's door interrupting his father's meeting with Voldemort. At least now, after he had merged with some of his horcruxes, Voldemort was almost totally sane and didn't curse his Death Eaters simply because they breathed too loud anymore.

"What is the meaning of this, Lucius?" the man with gray hair and crimson eyes asked in a cold and menacing tone. The Malfoy Lord gulped and looked coldly at his son.

"I am sorry, My Lord, Father." Draco slightly bowed at the Dark Lord. "I need your help, it is a case of the utmost urgency. Here," he said, giving his father the letter he had received from Harry.

Lucius' eyes widened when he read the letter. He knew that James Potter was a bastard and he wanted to curse the man for the way he treated his own son. Granted, Lucius Malfoy was a ruthless Death Eater, but he would never hurt Draco and he would hunt down anyone who dared to hurt his son.

Lucius looked at Voldemort and handed him the parchment. "My Lord, I believe you should read this."

The crimson eyes scanned the paper and as soon as he finished reading, he stood up.

"This is from Harry Potter, correct?" he asked the Malfoy heir.

"Yes." Draco was praying for the Dark Lord to let his father help Harry. His heart was beating fast and his breathing was erratic. He couldn't lose Harry, he just couldn't.

"And you are absolutely sure your friend is not exaggerating, young Malfoy?"

"Yes, my Lord. James Potter abuses Harry every summer. I sent a letter to Hermione, our friend, but she didn't receive a letter from him since the summer started. It's uncommon, usually Harry writes to us at least thrice a week."

"Hermione Granger, the dark muggleborn witch?" Draco nodded. Gods, even the Dark Lord already knew she was a dark witch? It certainly would bring trouble for her. "I see. Interesting friends your son has. Give me your arm, Lucius."

Voldemort pointed his wand at Lucius' Mark and called Snape.

"You will go to Potter Manor, Lucius, and rescue the boy. Then bring him here, I will have Severus heal him."

"With all due respect, my Lord, but Narcissa could heal the boy. Severus hates Harry Potter..." Lucius interjected.

"He may hate the boy, but he will do as I say Lucius, you should know that," Voldemort spat.

"Yes, of course my Lord, I apologise."

"Now go, Lucius."

Draco was sending glares at his godfather, who didn't, at all, understand the meaning of the blonde teen's behaviour. It was almost as if the boy was... Warning him? Whatever for?

"My Lord," the Potions Master said, bowing when Voldemort walked in the room.

"Rise, Severus. I called you because I need your healing abilities. You are to heal a boy who will be brought in by Lucius and you will put your personal feelings aside and tend to him with the best of your abilities, is that understood?"

"Yes, my Lord, as you wish," Severus replied. Somehow he knew that his Lord's order had something to do with Draco's demeanour, he just didn't yet know how to link them both. Voldemort left the room.

Five minutes later, Lucius entered the room levitating the bloodied body of a raven-haired teen who was softly whimpering and shaking uncontrollably. The boy's breath was shallow and his lips had a sick blue-ish colour. Lucius placed the boy on the bed, and he immediately curled himself in a ball. It was obvious that he was not completely conscious, though his eyes were open. Severus recognized the whimpering form of Harry Potter, the arrogant Ravenclaw who was his most hated student. His expression turned into a scowl. Now he understood the glares Draco was giving him, he still didn't know why his godson has chosen such a boy to be his friend.

"Oh, Merlin!" Draco whispered while tears poured from his eyes. He knew that Harry suffered in the summers, but he had never actually seen how bad it was. At that moment he felt something tighten in his chest, something different. He loved Harry very much. He loved Harry. Loved. Yes, he loved Hermione too, but he knew that what he felt for Harry was different, and he only realized this now. _Draco Malfoy you daft idiot!_

"Draco, I think you should go to your room whilst we take care of Potter," Lucius said, his tone neutral although he was worried about the Potter boy and his own son's reaction.

"No, I will stay with him. He must be scared, he never asked for help, and Merlin knows that I have offered!"

Severus poured pain-relieving potions into the boy's mouth and began to strip the boy, revealing cuts, welts, bruises and burns on his chest. When he pulled down his trousers, a loud gasp was heard. Draco and Lucius both looked horrified, the younger Malfoy crying profusely now. The Potions Master looked at the boy, noticing that blood was running down his legs. He knew what that meant. Even if he hated the boy, and even if he was a Death Eater, Severus could not bring himself to not feel repulsed at what he was seeing.

Draco clenched his jaw, trying to ease the anger he was feeling. Magic swirled the room, shaking the furniture and breaking glasses.

"Calm down, son," Lucius spoke softly. "I find myself wishing to kill that bastard now too. But calm down, Dragon."

"He is for Harry to kill," Draco stopped crying and said in a calm voice that chilled his father. "Harry had fantasies about killing him since last year…since—well, since we mastered the killing curse." Only when Draco finished the sentence did he remember that no one was supposed to know that they could already cast Unforgivables.

"Pardon, but who are you talking about killing?" Severus asked, trying to ease what he felt, knowing that fifteen-year-olds had already mastered the Avada Kedavra.

"James Potter," Draco spat the name as though it was dirty.

Severus paled severely. Were they implying that James Potter had cut, burnt, beat, cursed, and raped his own son?

"Are you suggesting to me that James Potter did this?" Severus asked dryly.

"I am not suggesting, I'm telling you. Certainly you are smart enough to understand, Uncle Severus."

"Draco, there is no need for such behaviour," Lucius reprehended his son.

"He hates Harry, father! I bet he's going to mock Harry even more," Draco said, angry at his father, and turned to Severus. "I love you, Severus, you are like a second father to me. But if you use this to hurt him even more, I will never look at your face again."

Snape was actually startled that his godson thought he would stoop so low; he would never use that against anyone. Did he look that cruel, really? It was also surprising that the young Malfoy was so protective of someone.

"I would never do such thing, Draco," he said in a calm but firm voice, reassuring the blonde teen.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were learning the Unforgivables?" Lucius asked, trying to draw Draco's attention away from Harry.

"It was his idea, I did tell him that we were too young to learn it, but he insisted... And then Hermione also wanted to learn. They want to, you know... become Death Eaters... That's why they were so hasty to study Dark Arts." It was a secret that Hermione and Harry wanted to become Death Eaters, however that was only because they feared Dumbledore knowing it and expelling them for that. Draco reckoned that they wouldn't mind two Inner Circle Death Eaters knowing it; perhaps it would even be useful. "We never practiced the killing curse on humans, though," Draco added.

"Granger wants to be a Death Eater? So it is true that she's a dark witch," Severus said. "I wonder what James Potter will say when his son joins the Dark Lord," he added in an amused tone.

"Gods, does everybody knows she is dark?" Draco muttered.

"Miss Granger was reading a Dark Arts books under concealment charms in the Great Hall, she used a dark spell to conceal it. Albus may not be able to see through it, but I am," Severus replied and cast a diagnostic spell on Harry. A parchment began to fill with all the injuries Potter sustained. There were a broken leg, two broken fingers, four cracked ribs and internal bleeding. Severus sighed when he read it before passing it to Lucius.

"I will have that monster fired," Lucius said, furious. Was James Potter insane to _Crucio_ a teen eleven times in a row? Merlin, Malfoy was a Death Eater and still felt appalled by such treatment of a child. Not even the Dark Lord would do such thing, even if he had, shall we say, a traitor child. He would only use a quick Avada Kedavra at the most. "This is the so called Light. Using the Cruciatus eleven times on his own son!"

"What?!" Draco shouted. "Father, we are Harry's distant relatives, right? Can't you do something? If Harry goes to that house again, James Potter will kill him or vice versa. Not that I mind that fucking bastard dying, but Harry needs to finish his education first. We need to wait until his brother starts Auror training next year to kill James and Liam at the same time without incriminating Harry. This way, he will be the new Potter Lord." Then Draco looked at his father with pleading eyes. "Please, father, you have to help him."

Severus was muttering healing and cleaning spells. He gave Harry a Post-Cruciatus potion to cease the tremors and the lingering pain. All the while listening to Draco's speech. How much didn't he know about the youngest Potter? He always surmised that Harry was as arrogant as his father and brother, an idiotic Gryffindor that somehow ended up in Ravenclaw, who loved his 'exemplary Auror dad', just like his brother. Yet, he now knew that the boy hated his father and even plotted his family's murder. Had he been blinded by his hatred for James Potter? Probably. He would think about it later, though, with some alcohol involved.

"He will be fine in some days, physically it is," Severus said in a low voice. "He will need potions for the next days, and I would like to check on him tomorrow. He is going to sleep at least twelve hours."

"Thank you, Uncle Severus," Draco said in a low voice and sat by Harry's side. Severus nodded and left the room followed by Lucius. Draco remembered that he needed to ask his father something and followed both adults.

"Father!" the blonde teen called.

"Yes, Draco?"

"May I call Hermione to come here? I must write to her; she will want to come for sure!"

"And her Muggle parents will allow it?"

"They don't need to allow her to do anything. She has a wand without the Trace and will put them under a sleeping spell." Lucius raised one eyebrow. Granger was, indeed, a brilliant witch as some Hogwarts' teachers used to claim.

"Very well, she may come."

"Thank you, father. She will come by floo in the next three or four hours I believe," Draco said and went back to the room where Harry was.

"Did you know those things about Draco's friends, Lucius?" Severus asked, his black eyes scanning the blonde wizard.

"I did know that James Potter abused his son. However, as far as I know he had never reached such insanity. I also did not know that the boy was so interested in the Dark Arts. As for Hermione Granger, all I knew was what everyone on the dark circles knew from their children - that she is a young witch interested in all branches of Magic. I never considered both of them to be Death Eaters aspirants."

"The girl seems to hold no love for her parents," Severus said darkly. Lucius nodded. "And Potter is plotting his family's deaths!"

"Would you not, Severus? I, myself, want to kill that arrogant hypocrite Auror."

"I have heard that Potter is a little warding genius. Is it true?" Severus asked.

"You should know so, he is, after all, your student," Lucius said with a smirk. "But yes, he is really good. The Dark Lord himself has shown interest in recruiting the boy, before he even knew Potter wanted to be a Death Eater. Draco says he is brilliant in Arithmancy and Runes."

"So says Vector and Babbling," Severus murmured. He always thought that the praises Harry received was due to the 'Potters' charms' on the staff. He knew the boy's potions were perfect - not that he would ever say that aloud. Was it possible that he was wrong about that too?

"I must do something to help the boy. I will need your assistance, though," Lucius spoke. "I would need to take your memories to the Ministry to prove James Potter's abuse. Narcissa is his closest blood relative besides his father and brother. I believe we will be able to take him from James Potter claws."

The Dark Lord came and inquired both of his servants about Harry's situation. He was really pleased when he learned that both Harry Potter - a Wards' genius - and Hermione Granger - a brilliant young witch - wanted to join his ranks. He also was appalled by the extent of the youngest Potter injuries. And to say that Voldemort was appalled by something was really a rare affair.

Voldemort was looking forward to meet both the teens, but he would need to know if they could occlude first. He would not want Dumbledore knowing that his students were meeting with the Dark Lord, would he?

Hermione received a rather worrisome letter from Draco. She was cursing James Potter in every language she knew - and that was a lot. The young witch almost cried when she read Draco's description of Harry's state when he was brought to Malfoy Manor. And that's why she was now on the hall of Draco's house.

"Miss Granger." Lucius greeted the girl. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Your reputation is highly regarded in some circles."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. It is a pleasure as well," she said, smiling slightly.

Severus entered the room followed by Draco, and Hermione took a defensive posture at the sight of the Potions Master. She knew he was a brilliant potioneer, and considered him a good teacher, but he also always tried to hurt her friend for no apparent reason.

"Miss Granger," Severus said in a neutral voice.

"Professor." she replied, not smiling this time. Lucius noticed her behaviour's change and made a mental note to talk with Severus about that later.

"'Mione!" Draco said and gave the girl a hug. He then pulled her by the hands towards Harry's room.

Harry was sleeping peacefully thanks to the dreamless sleep potion he was given. He was pale and every minute his limbs would jerk; weak tremors ran through his body, as he could not be given any more Post-Cruciatus potion. Hermione sat by her friend's side and stroked his hair.

Draco had not told her everything in the letters, so he had to take a deep breath to speak.

"The bastard raped him too…" he whispered.

Hermione shut her eyes and clenched the hand that was not on Harry's hair in anger. She had to take several breaths to calm herself and avoid destroying some of the room's windows' glasses.

It was at that times that she would see that her parents were not the worst at the world. Yes, they disliked their daughter for her Magic and were fanatically religious, so much so that they tried to exorcise her and she hated them for it. But they would never hurt her in such a way. They were only ignorant, not cruel. James Potter, however, was a monster.

Harry had made it clear form the start that he would be the one to kill James, but Hermione was sure he would not mind to share his dear father in a torture session.

"We will need to stand by his side, Draco," she said softly.

"I know, and I will. I love him, 'Mione," he admitted and blushed slightly.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to realize," she replied with a smile.

_Good, Draco, brilliant! Perhaps the entirety of Hogwarts have already noticed it. You are really daft!_


	2. You Cannot Keep Your Secrets From Nagini

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, he would turn dark, Severus Snape would be ALIVE at the end of DH and Dumbledore would be crucioed into insanity by Bellatrix. ^^**

**Thank you for the reviews. **

**Please R&R ;)**

**$Parseltongue$**

**Chapter 2: You Cannot Keep Your Secrets From Nagini**

James Potter had a secret. He knew that Harry Potter was not his son. He also knew who was Harry's father - his long time enemy Severus Snape. He obliviated Lily and Severus and decided to raise the child as if he was his own, to avoid his own shame of being cheated on. But when Lily died at Harry's birth, James started to really hate the boy, so he made sure Harry grew up unloved and unwanted.

James knew Severus very well - he knew that Snape, being the resentful git he was, would hate the Potter's sons, Liam and Harry; and having the forked tongue the potions master had, they would suffer from his verbal abuse. When Liam started Hogwarts it was proven right - Snape always mocked the boy and even graded his potions lower than he deserved. Four years later, with Harry, the situation was the same, only slightly better - James reckoned it was because Harry was a Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor, which would be another reason for his hatred.

How sweet the irony - Severus would abuse and belittle his own son. How beautiful the revenge, right? Of course James intended to reveal the truth, but only when Harry and Severus hated each other so much that any glimmer of relationship between them would be lost.

Harry thought that James hated him because of his mother's death, and James was happy to let the boy think that way. He did blame him for Lily's death, and he knew that Harry would often drown himself in guilt and remorse. The Potter lord only needed to make sure Harry had no self-esteem and that Severus had no desire of having a son, for James knew that if Snape had even the smallest... affection for Harry, he would be hunted through hell for all he did to Harry.

The only problem with the plan, however, was Harry's friends - the insufferable know-it-all muggleborn Granger and the Malfoy's spawn. They cheered Harry up - nothing that could not be destroyed in the summers with words and some curses, though. And that's why James went too far with Harry in the present summer. He first found out that Harry was gay - what a shame for the Potter name. And then he needed to beat any happiness out of Harry and make the child feel unwanted. What better way of doing this than raping him?

But James Charlus Potter thought himself too Light to do such thing and that's why he _Imperio_-ed someone to do it.

If only Snape could hear his son's screams, begging him to stop. If only he could hear his cries, imploring James to kill him instead of doing that.

James knew that Harry had sent the Malfoy brat a letter asking for help, but that was before Harry was raped. He knew the boy would prefer to die than let his friends know what happened to him. And that's why he took Liam to play Quidditch after the violence he committed against Harry. He would let Harry be 'saved', only to avert himself from his friends.

He again prayed that Severus hated the boy when the truth was revealed. He would take the time he needed, and the revenge would be beautiful. Yes, he could take the time he needed, it was not as if someone could find everything out first, right?

Harry woke up in a foreign room. He did not know how he ended up there; to be honest he did not remember anything after the third or fourth _Crucio_... He looked around and saw, seating in chairs and sleeping, the forms of Hermione and Draco. He frowned. What were they doing there? His left pinky jerked and caught his attention. Could that be nerve damage due to the Cruciatus? Probably.

Harry sighed and tried again to remember how he ended up there...

_James cursed Harry again and he felt the sheer pain. It was as if millions of knives were stabbing him. He felt the curse being lifted and right after he heard a 'crack' and felt a pain on his leg. It was broken for sure, but Harry was glad for that pain, as it didn't seem to wrap and blind him like the Crucio._

_"I think you still don't understand what a shame you are for this family," James said coolly and left._

_Harry was sure he was going to die, he needed help..._

_He had an idea, he would write to Draco._

_Harry dragged himself to the other side of his room and took a parchment and a quill..._

Harry didn't remember what he wrote to his friend, but at least now he knew how he ended up where he was, and probably that he was at Malfoy Manor.

There was a strange, bad feeling however, Harry didn't know why... Perhaps it was because of something he could not remember...

_"I think you will like this, dear son..." James said entering the room followed by a man Harry never saw before._

_"__Imperio__." James said pointing his wand at the man. _

_The man proceeded to strip Harry's trousers and then the boy realised his father's idea._

_"Oh no," Harry whispered. "Please, don't!" he cried looking at James with pleading eyes, who only laughed in return. "Please, father! Anything but this... Please!"_

_But the pleas were in vain. Harry felt the pain tearing him in two and he screamed his throat raw, though he thought he had lost his strength to scream on the sixth or seventh Crucio._

_"Please!"_

_But nothing made James stop._

_"Why don't you kill me if you hate me so much?" Harry whispered whilst tears poured from his eyes._

Harry gasped when the memories came to him.

Did Draco and Hermione already know what happened to him? Probably.

He hated James more than ever, but right now his self-hatred was greater than anything else. He felt dirty, he felt weak. He wanted to disappear, to die.

Harry closed his eyes trying to forget, to disappear, and to sleep.

But sleep did not come.

Draco woke up and looked immediately at Harry. His emerald eyes were closed and he was still, too still. The blonde knew his friend was not sleeping, but trying to pretend he was.

"Hey, Harry." Draco called softly.

Harry swallowed hard and tried to keep his breath slow. He did not want to talk with Draco now, he did not ever.

"I know you are awake."

_Why won't you just leave me alone? _Harry thought.

"Harry, are you okay?"

_Yes, of course he is okay, Draco. He must be splendid. You are really and idiot. Oh Merlin help me, why can't I just say something right?_

"I'm sorry. Of course you are not okay..." _Shit, Draco! Oh Gods, that sounded awful... Am I telling him that he should not feel okay?_ "I mean, it is understandable if you are not. Maybe you would want to talk with me... Perhaps you want to eat something?"

Harry still didn't answer. Draco frowned.

The sound of Draco's voice woke Hermione.

"Oh Draco, you could have the decency of waking me," she mumbled.

"Sorry, 'Mione."

Then she looked at Harry, seeing that he was awake.

"Hey, Harry. I know you are awake, so stop pretending."

No response.

_Why can't they understand that I do not want to talk with them ever again?_

"Harry..." Hermione started softly "Why did you never tell us how bad it was? What that—monster did to you is just so plain cruel, vile, I-I cannot understand why you did not tell us. We could have helped you, as will Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."

_What does she mean? Draco's parents helping me?_

Harry opened his eyes and looked at his friends, shocking them with the dull emerald orbs that seemed to hold no life.

"What do you mean?" Harry said in a hoarse voice.

"My parents will help you, Harry. We are your closest relatives besides your bastard father and brother. Mother is a cousin of sorts, as well as her sisters, Bellatrix and Andromeda. But you would not want to live with Andromeda; she is a traitor of the dark. And Aunt Bella is... Slightly insane, though she is a good person... Well, as much as an Inner Circle Death Eater known for her torture skill can be." Draco paused, smirking at the thought of how amusing was 'Aunt Bella' when she drunk. "Well, they want to take you to live here. They will take their Pensieve memories, as well as Severus' to the Ministry and announce what that bastard did to you. That shall be enough to take you away from James."

Harry was stunned. Yes, he knew Draco was his friend, but to do that for him... Harry never really felt cared for, he did not believe he deserved it, especially now.

"Why?" Harry did not know why someone as the Malfoys would want a burden like him.

"Why what?" Draco asked bewildered.

"Why are you helping me?"

"What?" Draco spoke in disbelief. "Because we care for you, because what that bastard did is wrong, so very wrong. You should have told us that it was so bad before, we could have helped you, Harry." _Because I love you._

_Do I want their help? I do not know. I still don't get it. I have always thought that Draco, Hermione and I were friends because we have interests in common, like fight for the Dark. Yes, I do care for them, deeply, but he never even wondered about it being reciprocal. Not even my own family cares for me, why would them? Hermione disliked her parents, and Draco... Well, he was a Malfoy, so why would they care about me?_

_Harry did not believe he deserved their help, but he would accept it, because it felt so good to have someone caring for him._

"Thank you." Harry whispered.

"You are welcome."

There was a knock on the door. Harry looked inquiringly at Draco.

"It must be Severus." Harry stiffened at the name.

"Snape?" he asked.

"Professor Snape, Harry" Hermione corrected.

"Yes, it's Professor Snape. He, well... You see, when I received your letter I was beyond worried, so I interrupted my father's meeting with the Dark Lord to ask for help." Harry looked horrified at Draco's words. "The Dark Lord ordered my father to rescue you and summoned Severus to heal you. I guess he just came to check on you."

Harry was gaping. _Is Draco telling me that he interrupted a Death Eater meeting for me? He could have been __C__rucio'd!_

"You may come in." Draco said, and it was indeed Severus. "Hello Uncle Severus."

"Hello Draco, Miss Granger, Mr. Potter." Severus greeted in a neutral tone.

"Hello Professor." Hermione greeted. Harry only nodded.

"I need to perform some diagnose spells on you, Mr. Potter." Harry nodded and Severus waved his wand over the teen's body. "You are healing well. I believe you not in pain?"

"No, sir." Harry's pinky jerked again, along with another finger, and Severus sighed. _Nerve damage, as I predicted._

"It seems that you have some permanent nerve damage due to the Cruciatus." Severus said, his voice neutral. "It will get better on the next days, but your fingers might tremble occasionally, and your left hand as well."

"Bastard," Draco breathed. If Draco would be honest with himself, he wanted so badly to be in Potter Manor right now torturing James Potter. He needed to talk with his Aunt Bella and get some tips about what to do with the monster when he got his hands on him.

"Here are the potions you will need, Mr. Potter." Severus handed Harry three vials of potions and exited the room hasty.

Harry downed the contents of the vials, grimacing because of the taste, and yawned. Apparently, one of the potions was a sleep one.

"We will let you sleep some more, you need the rest right now," Draco said and got up to leave the room, he needed to stretch his legs after sleeping on a chair. "

Nobody noticed the black eyes of a big snake watching them.

Voldemort was in his chambers on Malfoy Manor drinking whisky when Nagini entered the room looking worried.

$What troubles you, Nagini?$ Voldemort asked his familiar.

$You didn't tell me that your old overgrown bat had a brat.$ the snake replied annoyed.

$What are you babbling about, Nagini?$ He knew that the person Nagini called bat was Severus, but what nonsense was she talkng about?

$Your old bat has a brat. You did not know?$ Nagini said and chuckled.

$Care to explain?$ Nagini could be bloody annoying when she wanted, speaking in riddles and keeping information to herself. Sometimes Voldemort wished to crucio the snake.

$I was spying on the boy the albino brat fancies, the one who was brought here looking as if your insane female minion had 'played' with him.$ The Dark Lord raised one eyebrow. He was a powerful legilimens but sometimes Nagini could perceve things he could not. That made the snake the best company for him. Well, that and the nicknames she had for his Death Eaters. Severus was the 'overgrown bat', Lucius was 'albino Sir' (Draco was 'albino brat'), Bellatrix was the 'insane female minion' and so on.

$Tell me more, dear Nagini.$

$The tortured boy smells like the bat.$ Voldemort narrowed his eyes. _Well, well, well... You are really slippery, aren't you Severus?_

$Are you sure of this, Nagini?$

$Of course.$

.

.

"Hello Severus." Voldemort greeted his potions master.

"My Lord." Severus replied bowing slightly.

The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Severus, who felt himself being burned under his Master's hard eyes.

_Why would Severus hide the fact that he has a son? Is that the reason why he supposedly hates the boy? Perhaps he is not loyal to me, and does not want the brat to become a Death Eater... I wonder what is the reason for this. Unless he does not know. Oh, poor Severus..._

Few people knew, but Voldemort held a soft spot for Severus - as much as a Dark Lord can have a soft spot. He rescued Severus from his disgusting abusive Muggle father when he was a saner master, years ago. He saw Severus grow up and finally accept that he had importance, and that he was a powerful wizard. Voldemort knew that Severus saw him as a father figure of sorts, as much as twisted it was to see a Dark Lord as a father figure. That's why he didn't think the dark haired man had betrayed him... Yet, he needed to know for sure.

"Legilimens." Voldemort said and entered Severus' mind. He was not gentle, but he was not being harsh either. He was looking for everything concerning Harry Potter, James Potter and Lily Potter. There was hate towards James Potter and animosity towards Harry. There was caring and fondness for Lily.

_So Severus only hates the boy because he is Potter's son, or he thinks he is..._

He searched more and found something... Odd. There it was, the trace of an Obliviate. Voldemort smirked and left Severus' mind, who was now panting on the floor, questioning silently why his Lord had done that.

"It seems, my dear one, that you were obliviated." Voldemort and Severus' eyes widened comically.

Severus did not inquire Voldemort on what he had been obliviated. He still did not understand why his master searched about the Potters on his mind, and why he had been obliviated about something linked with them...

"Your arm, Severus."

Minutes later Antonin Doholov and Rabastan Lestrange arrived.

"My Lord," both greeted bowing.

"Doholov, Lestrange. I have a mission for you. You will bring to me the Head Auror James Potter. But he is to be brought alive and in condition to be interrogated. You may take the time you need to accomplish this, though I expect this mission to be complete on the next two months. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Doholov said.

"As you wish, my Lord," Lestrange spoke and they both left.

Severus was dying to ask, and was fighting the urge to smirk at the idea of Potter being wanted by the Dark Lord.

_Serves the bastard right. I hope Voldemort lets Bellatrix toy with the Potter senior._

"In time you will understand, Severusss."

Oh, Severus had no doubts about that. He only didn't know if he would like of what he would find.


	3. Please, Stay

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, he would turn dark, Severus Snape would be ALIVE at the end of DH and Dumbledore would be crucioed into insanity by Bellatrix. ^^ **

**Yes, James is pretty much a bastard on this story, but rest assured he will be given his comeuppance. I just don't know who I will have killing him yet. Who do you prefere? Harry? Severus? Maybe Draco? Anyway, he will not die before suffering *grins like Bellatrix*.**

**Someone suggested to Harry be pregnant after the rape. Well, first I would not do this to the poor boy, he suffered a lot already. Besides, I am not a big fan of MPREG (not completely adverse, but I prefer stories without it.)**

**Harry and Severus will not find out they are father and son for some time, but when they do... All I can say is that Sev is going to be on foul mood, livid, mad, completely murderous and he will make Voldemort look like a nice guy and Bellatrix a not-so-creative person when it comes to torture.**

**Thank you for the reviews ^^**

**Please R&R**

**Chapter 3: Please, Stay**

Harry woke up again and found himself alone in the room. He was feeling better than the last time; at least now he knew that Draco and Hermione would not abandon him. Remembering what happened was extremely painful, and since he was alone it was useless to try to hold back the tears, so he cried silently.

He had always known that his father hated him, and his brother did too, it was, after all, his fault that they had to grow up without a mother. But at least Liam had their father always by his side, loving and caring for him. Harry, on the other hand was always alone before he finally started Hogwarts. The little raven-haired boy tried to make James love him - Merlin knows how much he tried. The little boy searched ways to make his father proud of him, but everything was in vain because when the older Potter was not showing Harry how much he disliked him, he did not show anything at all.

In his sorting Harry implored the hat to put him in Gryffindor, hoping that James would like him if he were a lion too. But the hat refused and told the little boy that the only places where Harry would fit were Ravenclaw and Slytherin. At the end, Harry's love for books and knowledge - what he used as a refuge from the loneliness - won over his will to prove himself worth of James' love, and he was declared a raven. The child was relieved, he knew how much his father hated everything Slytherin - and Harry really did not need another reason to earn James' hatred.

People usually did not notice the little raven-haired boy, until his housemate, Hermione Granger, tried to approach him. She was the first person who tried to show him anything good. However, Harry did not easily give his trust and it took a long time before the boy let her in.

The friendship with Draco started in their second year. The blonde approached Harry and Hermione because he needed help with Transfiguration - the subject he was pants at (not that he would ever say that to a living soul). He could have looked for help in his own house, but nothing was free within Slytherin, and Ravenclaws were always trying to show how smart they were, besides being the one house that was not too prejudiced against the snakes.

With time, the two Ravens and the Snake became inseparable, and Draco would be often seen in the Ravenclaw table at the meals and also in their common room. Harry and Hermione also earned the other Slytherins' trust and respect, and with it the right to sit at their table and frequent their common room - much to the disgust of the Slytherin Head of House.

Harry was sure that if there was another person in the world who hated him more than his father and brother, it was Severus Snape. He did not know why the man loathed him; sure, he hated Liam too - or that was what Harry heard so. Everybody in Hogwarts knew the dislike the potions master had for Gryffindors, but Harry was a Ravenclaw and usually the Slytherin was neutral towards the Ravens... Not when Harry was involved though.

Harry was not a fool, he knew that his potions and essays were perfect, but his professor always made humiliating comments about him and his supposed inability to do things right. Sometimes Snape's words really hurt him, like when he compared Harry to his brother. Hermione tried to comfort him and tell that everybody in Hogwarts knew that Severus Snape was a git - even his snakes. The man was Draco godfather and that's why Harry refrained himself of talking ill things of the man.

In his third year Harry started cutting, something he never told a living soul. It began actually in the summer after second year, when James' cruel words were too much to handle and when his father started to drink and to hurt him physically, beating him or using hexes. He used concealment charms to hide he scars on his forearms. It would be humiliating if people knew he needed to harm himself to ease the pain, they would think he had gone mad - what he thought was probably true.

It was irrational, was it not, to hurt himself, to feel pain to ease another one? But it felt good, that pain he could choose when to feel, when to stop, it was something he could control, something of his own. So he cut when James cursed or insulted him, when Liam showed him how he was a perfect son or even when he had a particularly bad Potions class and Snape was in a foul mood. It was weak, and Harry knew it, but that was he only way to carry on without more drastic actions.

Summer after third year was even worse - Liam had graduated and intended to become an Auror like James, who was so proud of his son and even gave Liam a gift - the chance to travel around the world before he started his Auror training. Harry felt at a loss. He did not want to be an Auror, no, he liked to study, loved Arithmancy and Runes, was interested in wards study and sometimes helped Hermione with her spell crafting - which was a borderline dark subject. He did not want to become someone who chased other wizards often because of he type of magic they used. That was another problem: Harry had nothing against Dark Magic.

It was in fourth year that Harry started to use Dark Magic. It started with small things like cutting and burning hexes that could be used in every day tasks like lighting candles and cutting vegetables. After that he studied the Dark Arts deeper, reaching curses that intended to hurt other beings. That magic came so easily, felt so good, so warm, so like... Home. Potter found out that he was dark wizard. Oh joy... Another disappointment for his father. He told Draco, who came from a dark family, and the blonde offered books from his own family library about Dark arts. Then the two friends discovered that Hermione was also dabbling in dark magic.

That was when Hermione told them that her parents disliked her because she was a witch, and even tried to exorcise her - something about a Muggle religion that tried to expulse 'bad spirits' from someone. She said that for some time she tried to make her parents proud of her, to show how beautiful Magic was, but that did not work; so she stopped. If they disliked her, there was no reason for her to like them too. If they could not accept her nature, she would not try to make them like her anymore. That opened Harry's eyes, and he started to see James in a new light. Why did he need his love?

The answer did not come, and Harry knew why, because he did not need the bastard's love. That was when he started to think that James Charlus Potter was a complete bastard, and all the pain he ever felt at his hands became something else - hatred. It still hurt the words, he curses and everything James did to him, he still felt pain for the rejection, but he took all of that to fuel his hate and his will for revenge.

Draco, seeing that Harry and Hermione were dark, finally had enough courage to confess his raven friends that his father was a Death Eater. That did not surprise both Ravenclaws; everybody knew that the Malfoys were a traditional dark family, and that Voldemort would chase alliance with an influential House like that.

So Harry thought - what could be worse to the perfect, light Auror James Potter than have his son become a Death Eater? To hell with making his father proud of him. Now Harry wanted to make James suffer like he did, and align himself with the dark would be the perfect opportunity. Hermione liked the idea, she had the greatest reasons to want to live separated from Muggles as Voldemort wanted, she also wanted Dark Arts to be free, so she decided to become a Death Eater too, though Draco warned her that the Dark Lord had only one female Death Eater, who happened to be his aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione did not mind, she was determined to be one of Voldemort's followers.

Harry decided that they needed to learn how to cast Unforgivables. Draco said they were too young, but Harry and Hermione had scowled him, and convinced the blonde to study with them. It was not as hard as they predicted. The Unforgivables were the ultimate examples of the Dark Arts, and all they required was intent. Draco felt ashamed for being from a dark family and having the greatest difficulty with the Crucio between the three friends, but Hermione explained that he probably had not enough bad experiences to invoke the hate, the will to cause pain to someone to cast the Cruciatus; he was, after all, a pampered boy who grew up loved by his parents, even if they were strict and sometimes cold.

Harry, however, excelled in the pain curse. When they practiced, Harry could make the mice he held under the curse bleed. Hermione was really good at the Imperius, but she could not hold Harry under the spell for long time. They found out that the resistance Harry had to the Imperius was a common skill for a natural occlumens. They only wondered where did that came from for Harry. Was James an occlumens? Was Lily - probably not, because those abilities usually came from old bloodlines, and she was a muggleborn.

James perceived that something changed in Harry, and that's why he confiscated Harry's wand when the boy came 'home' after fourth year. That summer was particularly rough, James drunk even more and Harry was defenceless. Liam was on his stupid trip, and the lord Potter would often complain that his only useful and prideful son was away. Harry remembered his words.

**"I would send you away forever just to have your brother with me now. I wished you were never born, so Lily would be with me."**

Those words hurt Harry so much, and that day he needed something different to ease the pain. His forearms were already too scarred, so he cut his thighs. He probably cut too deep, and before he realized, the consciousness abandoned him.

He dreamed, and that was a good dream instead of the usual nightmares he had. His mother was alive, she was beautiful and she told Harry he was her boy and that she loved him.

But it was a dream. His mother probably hated him; he killed her, after all.

He woke up and saw two big green eyes of Pitty, the house elf, staring at him with concern. She said that she knew James was a bad master, and healed Harry when she found him unconscious and bleeding. Harry owed his life to the house elf. That made the boy wonder if James would have done the same had him found Harry before Pitty.

Probably not.

In fifth year Harry realised another thing about himself - he did not feel attracted by girls. He hid that from his friends. He was not sure if Hermione would approve and he was afraid that Draco would become distant, not wanting to associate himself with a gay. But Harry knew that sooner or later everyone would find out.

Harry did not know how James became suspicious of his sexual orientation, but when Harry came for the summer after fifth year James drugged him with Veritaserum and got the truth out of him. And then hell broke loose.

The pillow Harry was lying on was wet with the tears he shed. It was so painful, and Harry was tired of being in pain. He dropped the glamours on his arms and smoothed his scars. He needed to cut now, he just needed to. Remembering what happened was driving him crazy. The tightness in his chest was becoming stronger. He needed anything he could transfigure into a razor.

But he could not. Not there, not now, someone could find out, someone like Draco's parents, who wanted to help him. Certainly they would not think he deserved help if they saw what he used to do. Or someone like Snape... 'Perhaps if you studied more instead of cutting yourself you would be less useless, Potter.' Harry could hear the professor spitting those words full of venom in front of the class. Or worse, Draco and Hermione would be disgusted with him and get away from him for sure if they found out.

So he continued to cry, because that was the only thing that eased a little that tightness he felt on his chest. And Harry cried until he slept, only to be caught in the clutches of a nightmare.

Draco was looking Harry sleep. His beautiful emerald eyes were closed... The blonde remembered the way the green orbs looked early - dull, lifeless. He wanted to forget that sight, he wanted to see Harry's eyes shine again like they shone when the raven was reading something interesting. Draco wanted Harry's eyes to shine like that... For him.

Draco had accepted his sexuality for two years now. It was a hard thing to tell his parents, but they were surprisingly supportive. Narcissa told him that she loved him no matter what, and that she could never abandon him because he loved someone from the same sex. She was a romantic, and knew how much love mattered on someone's life. More important: she was a romantic and she was a Black, what made her a possessive and vengeful lover. If someone ever thought about hurting Lucius she would surely make they regret that. The blonde woman knew her son would probably be like her.

Lucius, however, was tougher to accept, he was worried with the idea of Draco not having a Malfoy heir. True, that was the only reason he resisted the idea, and he made it clear for Draco, not wanting his son to think that he was a homophobe. It was, of course, Narcissa who came up with the solution - blood adoption made a child an heir in blood, magic and soul.

Draco was so glad that his parents still loved and accepted him. He wondered what would happen if someone like James Potter was his father and shuddered at the idea.

The blonde remembered how he had started his friendship with Harry and Hermione purely for his own interests, to be honest; he wanted to use the two Ravenclaws and their intelligence. He was glad that what was only an association with selfish interests ended in a friendship.

He was worried, though, that Harry would pull him away if he knew that Draco wanted to be something more than a friend. The blonde did not even know if Harry was straight or not. He had not seen the raven with a girl, but that did not mean much.

Harry started to thrash on the bed, his eyes shut and he was sweating. Draco was startled and did not know what to do.

_He is having a nightmare... Really, it is not wonder after all that happened. Probably he cannot be given another dreamless sleep._

Harry started to shake and whisper words.

"Please..."

Draco thought his friend had woken when he heard Harry speaking, but was horrified when he noticed that no, he was not awake, he was dreaming with what happened.

"Please don't do this..."

The blonde felt a knot on his throat and his eyes watering. He reached to caress Harry's cheek, which was now wet with tears.

"Harry, wake up! You are safe now."

Harry trembled and pleaded again caught in the horrific scenes.

"Harry, wake up! It is only a dream. Please, wake up!"

When his calls did not work, Draco tried something else. He kneeled on the floor, and embraced Harry, resting his head against the raven's chest. That felt good, and that worked, Harry stopped thrashing and his breath slowed.

"I am sorry, Harry." Draco whispered.

The words, even if sounding low, were enough to wake Harry.

"It's ok, Draco."

Draco did not expect Harry to wake, and he immediately started to separate himself from Harry, but a hand on his head stopped him.

"Please, stay." Harry was kicking himself for asking that, but right now he needed that, he needed as much as air on his lugs.

And Draco stayed, and he would stay forever.

Obsidian eyes watched the scene through the holes in the door.


	4. Potters Are Always Stealing Things?

****Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, he would turn dark, Severus Snape would be ALIVE at the end of DH and Dumbledore would be crucioed into insanity by Bellatrix. ^^****

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><p><strong>Very well... I'd like to thank my beta, Living. Like. A. Boss! :)<strong>

**Previous chapters are also beta-ed now, but the changes are minimal.**

**Thank you for the reviews!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 - Potters Are Always Stealing Things!?<br>**

Severus watched his godson comforting Potter and sighed. He knew Draco was gay — he had asked Lucius when he started to notice the way the blonde looked at other boys in Hogwarts. The Malfoy patriarch did not deny it, and Snape felt slightly betrayed. He and Draco had always been close and it was odd that the teen did not tell him such a big thing. Maybe he did not trust him anymore? And if it was that, why?

The Potions Master believed it was Harry's fault. Draco started to distant himself from Severus in his fourth year... Maybe the Potter brat has been whining about the treatment he had in the Potions classes.

Potters were always stealing things from him. First, his dignity when James humiliated him in school. Then, the bastard stole his Lily. And now the blasted boy was taking his godson away from him. Severus refused to lose to a Potter again.

The day he was ordered to heal Harry, Severus almost felt sorry for the boy, seeing how his own father treated him. He hated the boy, but apparently so did James Potter, and he refused to have anything in common with a Potter.

And now, seeing Draco resting his head on Potter's chest, Snape prayed the gods that the blonde teen was not... interested in Harry. If the way Draco laid his head on the raven's chest was anything to go by, it was already too late.

But there was a little voice in the back of his head saying that he was wrong, so wrong about Harry Potter. Well, obviously the boy was not waited on hand and feet like his brother and like his father once were. He was not particularly arrogant — maybe he liked to show off his academic skills, but weren't all the Ravenclaws like that? And if Severus would be honest with himself, Slytherins were no humbler about their power and influence. No, Harry did not have the Gryffindor arrogance inside him, the 'holier than thou' behaviour typical of that house.

Recalling Harry's first year was a blow on Severus' face. He watched in his Pensieve the boy's first Potions class. There was the glint of anticipation and eagerness on those emerald eyes... Eyes so much like Lily's, but the snarky man tried not to think about that. The boy really wanted to learn (he was, after all, a Ravenclaw) and there was no hostility towards Severus. The professor, on the other hand, presuming that Harry had heard the most humiliating things about him from James was quick treating Harry in the worst way possible (without granting to be fired, of course). With the time he continued to make vicious comments about the boy's work (which Severus knew was perfect). But Harry never reacted, he always remained stoic no matter how offensive were Snape's words (he was not a Gryffindor).

Knowing now partially how James treated the boy, Severus guessed that Harry probably believed all his words.

The same little voice kept telling Severus that he was doing the same thing James Potter did to him years before – bullying someone weaker than him.

Yes, maybe it was not Potter who took Draco away from him, but his own behaviour had, indeed, been inexcusable. He should had known that treating his godson's friend the way he did would make him avert from Severus.

If there was something that Severus despised was being wrong, and he never admitted aloud when he was...

He did not intend to be nice to Harry, no; he would never be nice to a Potter. But, perhaps he could at least be civil towards the boy, be neutral... Yes, that would fit.

Severus Snape would never be nice to a Potter. Period.

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><p>Draco woke when Hermione called him. She was looking worried and apprehensive.<p>

"Hello 'Mione. Good morning." Hermione was now a guest at Malfoy Manor — she did not even need to put her parents under sleeping spells anymore, they were more than glad to not see her for a few days. Narcissa was happy to have another woman's company besides Bellatrix and Death Eater's wives.

"Draco, we need to talk." her expression was haggard and Draco's heart skipped a beat.

"What's wrong, Mione?"

Hermione approached Harry and took the raven's arms from underneath the blanket. Draco gasped at the sight of his forearms. There were several pale scars near his wrists, and as it approached his elbows the scarring was worse, with some scars retracing over others, in a way that should even cause a lingering pain. Harry was oblivious to all of that, sleeping deeply.

"You know what it means, right?" The witch asked.

"Yes, of course I do. How did Severus not see it when he healed Harry?" Draco wondered.

"I think he was using a glamour. I came earlier to see you both, you were lying on him and his arms were on your head. I separated you so you could rest in a more comfortable position. Maybe his magic failed and he could not keep the glamours anymore or maybe he dropped them and forgot to put them up again... I don't know."

"Oh Circe, I did not see it at night..." Draco spoke pained. "I will talk to Severus to see if he has a potion to erase these scars."

"Do you think this is wise, Draco? You are not in Potions to see what he says to Harry." Draco sighed... Yes, Severus was a bastard to Harry, but he had assured him that he would not use Harry's home life against him... The blonde could only guess — and hope — that about the self-harm would be the same.

"If it is necessary, I will have him to swear to never use this against Harry. But we need to heal these scars, some of them are so deep that they must hurt."

Harry began to stir and both Draco and Hermione became apprehensive. The conversation they needed to have with Harry would not be pleasant and the teens knew it.

Harry opened his eyes to see Hermione and Draco looking at him with worried and pained expressions.

"Mione, Draco?" The raven called with a hoarse voice. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hermione's gaze rested on Harry's arms, realisation hit him. The glamours! He had forgotten the fucking glamours! His breath sped up and tears were forming on his eyes. Merlin, how could he forget the glamours?

"I... Could we not talk about it? Can you just forget that you have seen this?" Harry asked with a small voice.

"No, Harry, we cannot." Hermione spoke sternly. Harry did not need cuddling; he needed to stop doing that and to do so it was necessary that they knew why he hurt himself.

"Please?" the raven pleaded, refusing to meet his friends' eyes.

"Why Harry? Why did you do this?" the blond teen asked.

Harry did not want to answer; it was humiliating the thought of his friends knowing what he did... If they knew why would be even worse. But he felt he owed them, even if they abandoned him after listening how weak and pathetic he was. They had, after all, stood with him for a long time, and that was more than he could ever ask for and more than he thought he deserved.

"Because I needed," Harry whispered.

Draco and Hermione were taken aback. Why had Harry not talked with either of them? Why?

"You don't need this, Harry," Draco said fiercely while smoothing Harry's scars.

"You would not understand..." the raven continued to say in a barely audible voice. "I need because this is the only way to forget what they say. I think it is the only time when I am in control. I can choose when to stop. It hurts, but it is not they talking all those things to me. It is not James hexing me." Harry took a deep breath. "It is not they talking how I am the worst someone could have. It is not he showing how he is the good son. It is not he telling me that if I were not born, my mother would be alive. It is not he talking how I cannot make anything right and how bloody useless and arrogant I am." Hermione stiffened at the last sentence, she knew very well who used to say those particular things to Harry.

"You could have talked with us, Harry. Why, Harry, why did you never tell us how bad it was?" Draco asked exasperated.

"Because it was not like this before. He never went that far."

Hermione was not an idiot, she knew Harry was leaving something out. "So what changed now, Harry?"

"It doesn't matter, ok?" Harry really did not need to all of his secrets being uncovered. Knowing Hermione, though, he was aware that she would pester him until she got the whole truth out.

"How long have you been cutting, Harry?" Draco asked.

"Since third year." Draco and Hermione were now feeling guilty. How could have they missed that? How could have they not seen that Harry needed them? That Harry was suffering alone?

"How often would you do this?" now Hermione inquired.

"Only when it got really bad." That was the truth, Harry did not need to lie nor tell that he cut a lot.

Draco raised one eyebrow but did not asked again. "Have you ever done this while we were at Hogwarts?"

"No." the raven lied, he did not want anyone to know how much Snape hurt him, and the man was nothing for him. He should not feel that way. _It is because you know that what he says is true._

"You are lying, Harry," the witch stated bluntly. "It is because of Snape, is it not?" she asked, fury burning in her eyes. How could a professor be so cruel at the point of causing such damage to a student? Sure, James Potter was probably the biggest problem in Harry's life, but the professor's attitude was wrong nonetheless.

Harry had not even tried to lie again. It was useless to lie to Hermione — all those books about Psychology she read made she analyse people very well.

Draco looked startled. Both Ravenclaws always told him that Severus was a bastard to Harry, but really, could it be that bad? Knowing Severus and his reputation Draco knew it could. He would have a serious conversation with his godfather.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Narcissa entered the room smiling widely.

"Hello Draco, Hermione. Hello Harry, we were not introduced yet. I am Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother. It is a pleasure to meet you; I just wished it were in different situation though. I hope you are finding your stay here pleasant."

"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Malfoy. It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

Narcissa then looked at Harry's arms. He looked down ashamed and she decided not to ask about that. She would, though speak with Draco and Lucius about it — and maybe Severus too to ask a potion for soothing the scars.

"I thought that you might want to get out of this room, Harry. It has been days that you are here."

The idea was brilliant, Harry was ecstatic to stretch his legs and walk a little.

"I think this would be brilliant. Sorry, but what date is today?"

"You have been here for four days, Harry. Today is August 4." Narcissa spoke. "The house-elves will be serving breakfast. Meet us on the dining room. Oh, and Draco, your aunt and uncle are here today. Severus will be coming to lunch too." She left the room and the three teens were facing each other awkwardly. Harry just hoping that his friends forgot the subject they were talking before.

"Let's go Harry. Do not think that we are done talking about this," Hermione said.

"You will meet Aunt Bella. She is a little insane, but do not worry... She will probably like you. And if you, Harry, tell her how good you are at the _Crucio_ she will love you," Draco spoke trying to change the subject, not wanting to make Harry even more uncomfortable.

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><p>Harry looked at the people sitting at the table waiting for the breakfast. Narcissa and Lucius were on one side of the table. Beside her there was a woman with long waved black hair, pale skin and violet eyes. Harry knew she was Bellatrix Lestrange, Draco's aunt, the legendary witch that was the only female Death Eater and the most trusted follower of the Dark Lord. Harry could see she was powerful, but there was something on her eyes that showed she was, as his friend always warned, a little psycho. Beside her was a man with a stern look and aristocratic traces. He had dark brown hair and eyes. He must be Bellatrix's husband – but Harry did not know his name.<p>

Bellatrix looked at Harry and narrowed her eyes at the raven-haired boy that was beside her nephew. Something in him looked... familiar? She knew he was Harry Potter – Draco's friend – Narcissa told her that the boy was a guest in Malfoy Manor after his home life was considered less than ideal. Merlin forbid a pureblood wizard not treating his son right. If Bellatrix ever got her hands on people like that...

Yes, she might be a little crazy, but she had common sense most of the time. She could not have children – Merlin knew how she and Rodolphus tried to, but the healers told her that no potion or spell would make her capable of getting pregnant – so she would be very angry with anybody that had children and treated they badly. Not even her Aunt Walburga would ever raise her wand to Sirius Black – and Merlin knew the mutt was a disappointment.

She did not remind meeting with James Potter, so she could not say the boy looked like him. So why did he look so familiar?

There was also a girl with the boys. Bellatrix had heard about Hermione Granger in the meetings when Death Eaters whom had children at Hogwarts would discuss possible students that were, at least, not prejudiced against Dark Magic and that were interested in maintaining the Old Customs. It was surprising that said young witch was a muggleborn – not a lot of them were willing to forgo the Muggle world. Fortunately, some of them had common sense.

Bella smiled warmly at the teens. "Hello, children. You must be Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, friends of my dear nephew, right?" She said loudly. "I am Bellatrix Lestrange, and this is my husband, Rodolphus."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lord and Lady Lestrange." Harry said politely.

"Oh, no need of this. You both can call me Bella."

Harry nodded.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Lestrange, Bella." Hermione said smiling.

Rodolphus greeted both teens with a nod of his head.

"So, Harry." Bellatrix called. "It seems that finally there is someone with brains in your family." Harry stiffened a bit. "You know, your grandmother was a Black, it is not surprising that it made at least one Potter turn dark."

"Thank you, Bella. I am more intelligent than my father and brother, though." Harry said forcing a playful tone. Joking about his family always made easier to forget everything bad about them.

"You are a Ravenclaw, what would you expect surrounded by Gryffindors, right?" Bella sighed. "Aunt Walburga would be happy to see that you have more Black attitude than that disgusting son of hers. Good riddance the mutt Sirius had." there was a sinister smile on her lips that scared Harry a little. Indeed, Walburga's portrait loved when he visited Grimmauld Place.

James had been desolated with Sirius Black death four years ago. He disappeared in a mission when he got separated from the other Aurors. Twenty days later his body was left in front of one of the Auror's headquarters, tortured gruesomely. Now Harry knew who was responsible for that. Liam was also devastated; Black was, after all, his godfather. Harry, on the other hand, could not care less – even if the man was his godfather too; Sirius never acted like a godfather to him, only caring about perfect Lion Liam.

"Bella, are you sure that this is really a subject for breakfast?" Narcissa asked annoyed.

"Oh, Cissy, you cannot tell me that you are sad for what I and Severus did to the mutt. He was our cousin, yes, but he betrayed our family. You should be happy that he had what he deserve..."

Severus? His professor had participated on that too? How interesting...

"Bella, enough." Narcissa cut the Lestrange Lady. How could Bella speak in front of the teens that their teacher participated on the torture of a man? Yes, they knew he was a follower of the Dark Lord, but they did not need to hear those things.

Breakfast continued without other affairs. Harry found Draco's family... Odd, but he would rather have a family composed by Death Eaters like the blonde than his own. He could see that Lucius loved Draco, as well as Narcissa. Bellatrix could be a ruthless torturer, but Harry could see that she would never hurt her own family. The raven sighed and decided to enjoy himself while he could. He was not looking forward to go back to Potter Manor, and hoped he did not need to until next summer.

After breakfast Lucius asked to talk with Harry. The Malfoy Lord explained that he was going to report James Potter at the Ministry for abuse and request Harry's guardianship. They would need to go to Gringotts and perform a blood test to prove that Narcissa was his closest relative besides his father and brother. But it could wait, though, in four weeks Harry would return to Hogwarts, and they would not even have time to claim his guardianship; that would be necessary for the next summer, though. For now, Harry could stay in Malfoy Manor as a temporary ward.

Harry was nervous about reporting James. He was afraid that the Ministry employees would not believe that he was abused. Sure, Lucius would take his, Narcissa and Snape's Pensieve memories, but his father was an influential Auror and could get out of the problem easily. Besides, obviously Liam would say that Harry was lying. Thank Merlin Lucius Malfoy had half of the Ministry on his pocket and that Severus Snape was a respected Hogwarts' teacher.

An odd thing was Snape really helping him. The man did not say one hostile word to him, did not glare or snorted while in his presence. Harry hated the idea that it was the man who took his pain away when he was rescued. The idea that he owed something to Snape was disturbing. But he did not, did he? It was, after all, the Dark Lord who ordered the potions master to tend to him. If Snape could he would let Harry suffer as much as he could, the Ravenclaw was sure of that.

How disturbing... The Dark Lord, Voldemort, ordered his followers to rescue him. Harry would laugh if the situation were not so painful for him. At least someone wanted him, even if for selfish reasons. Harry was not naïve; he knew the Dark Lord was interested in him because of his talent with wards, Arithmancy and Runes... But, at least someone was interested about him, and that was much more than James ever did. Harry glanced at his friends. Draco was looking him... Oddly. The young Potter wondered what that meant.

* * *

><p>After lunch Draco convinced Hermione to play chess with Harry and distract the raven while the blonde talked with his godfather. The blonde called Severus to meet him in his father's study – which was not being used by the Dark Lord today, who was away taking care of international issues in Albania.<p>

Draco closed the door of he study and put silencing charms on it. He did not want Harry to hear what he was going to talk — the blonde really did not care if others did though.

"I want to know why you hate Harry and what you have been talking to him." Draco spoke in a demanding voice. Severus did not like his attitude, not a bit.

"What I do or do not do inside my classes are not of your concern," the man said dryly.

"So just tell me why you hate him. Merlin, the whole Hogwarts student body knows you are a bastard, even the Slytherins. But everybody says you are at the very least neutral to Ravenclaw. Tell me, Uncle Severus, why do you hate him?"

"This is none of your concern."

"You think you are powerful, don't you, belittling and humiliating him? I bet you like it. Does it feel good to enjoy him suffering? I bet he became even a challenge to you; he never breaks, does he? He never talks back. You are just waiting for the day when he loses it and then you can finally do something more to him. But he is already broken. Did you know that he cuts himself to ease the pain? When his bastard of father humiliates him, when his fucking brother tells him how he is a good son. And when he has a particular bad Potions class. Congratulations, Uncle Severus, your little project went perfectly."

Severus took a deep breath. Yes, he was already regretting the way he had treated the boy for the last five years. However, that did not mean he was ready to admit that, nor that he was pleased to have Draco speaking to him in such fashion. Was Potter all that affected by his words? Probably he was only seeking attention.

"And I already know the kind of things you tell him, Hermione told me everything. I just wanted to hear it from you," Draco fumed. "Merlin, you compare him to his brother. You compare him to James Potter, who is the person he hates the most in the world. Can you imagine what it feels like?"

The boy hated James Potter... Well, that much he had already noticed the day he healed him. Something they had in common. He refused to have something in common with a Potter.

Except if it was hatred for James Charlus Potter.

Severus took a deep breath. He was not going to tell Draco why he hated Harry. First because it was not his godson's business, and second because Snape knew that his supposed reason to act the way he did was unfair at the least. Severus Snape was an intelligent man, and he was aware that it was silly to treat a son for his father's sins. He sighed and looked in Draco's eyes.

"This does not concern you. If it satisfies you, I will be neutral towards your friend from now on. I admit that I had some... Misconceptions about him that impaired my judgment towards him." Yes, that would – it was the best Draco would ever get from him.

Draco nodded. He was taken aback. Severus Snape had admitted that he was wrong. Certainly that was a moment worth of a Pensieve memory.

"Thank you, Uncle Severus. And I am sorry for the way I spoke to you. I was just worried about him and when Hermione told me all those things it got the better of me."

"It is alright, Draco. However, such behaviour in the future will not be tolerated. Your parents taught you better than to lose yourself in your emotions."

The blonde nodded. His father was always telling him that he needed to control his emotions, he was a Slytherin and a Malfoy – his mask should always be in place, except when he wanted it not to be.


	5. Omen

**Hello people! **

**I'd like to thank my beta Living. Like. A. Boss.**

**I was writing the chapter in which Severus finds out everything and it occured to me that there will not be too much filler chapters until then, so, soon the story really begins. **

**Thank you for the reviews.**

**Please read and review ^^**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 - Omen<br>**

James Potter was lazing on the couch in Potter Manor. It was a warm night, and he had just played a quick game of Quidditch with his son, Liam. Life was blissful; Harry was away – probably with the Malfoy brat. If he was honest with himself, it was a relief the boy had gone. Yes, all the torturing and abusing of Snape's son had been fun, but he was getting tired of it.

An owl arrived and tapped on his window. It was one of the Ministry's owls. Something must have happened – perhaps Death Eater attacks. Being the Head Auror was tiresome. He missed when Sirius was alive and the work was much more fun. He took the letter and opened it; he was not prepared at all for what he was going to read.

_James Charlus Potter_

_It has come to our knowledge that Mr. Lucius Malfoy reported that your son, Harry James Potter, was being abused and neglected while in your care._

_There was enough evidence to support Mr. Malfoy's allegations, and until the audience to analyse your behaviour, you are being suspended of your Auror's duties._

_Also, the custody of Harry Potter has been transferred to the Ministry, and is currently in Mr. Malfoy's ward. _

_Mr. Malfoy requests that you return Harry Potter's wand to his possession._

_Your audience will be on August 20._

_Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic._

Well... He was not expecting that. James did not count on Malfoy giving a damn about Harry... Everybody knew how cold the Malfoys were – they probably did not even care about their own children. James sighed. Now he wanted someone to curse – preferably Harry – to vent his anger on.

It was odd that the Minister had taken actions against him – everybody knew he was the best dueller and strategist hence why he was the Head Auror. They needed him. The other Aurors knew it, so James was in peace knowing that he would still be informed of any mission during the days of his suspension. The Minister loved him, but James knew Fudge was in Malfoy's pocket.

* * *

><p>"Harry, are you alright?" Draco asked, seeing the raven looking pensive.<p>

"Yes... Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About how this is the best summer of my life, all things considered," Harry replied smiling softly. "I am not being cursed, belittled or grounded. And," he said, taking his wand out of its holster. "I can have my wand again."

But that was not all. Harry was also thinking how good it was Draco embracing him that night...

"I thought it was odd that you did not defend yourself, since the wards on Potter Manor certainly prevents the Ministry from detecting underage magic. I did not know that he took your wand... It is one of the most absurd actions to take against a wizard."

Harry shrugged.

"In the summers Aunt Bella trains me on the Dark Arts. Since you and Hermione are here I was wondering if you would like to participate? 'Mione accepted, of course."

"Of course I want to join you!" Harry said. "I will be there in five minutes. I just need to finish something." Draco frowned – finish what? Harry was just thinking before...

"Ok, we will be in the training room. Ask a house-elf to lead you there."

.

"Circe, I can't wait for the Dark Lord to finally rule our world so we can study the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, and stop having DADA. It's so stupid, as if you only need defence against Dark Magic," Draco said with enthusiasm.

"Me too. No more reading books under concealment charms on the Great Hall." Hermione stated.

"Speaking about it, Mione, Uncle Sev saw through your glamour on the book." At Hermione's worried expression Draco added, "He said Dumbledore couldn't see through it though since you used Dark Magic on it, he said it is something about magic affinity... A dark wizard or witch could see right through it, but a light one no."

"Snape should mind his own business," Hermione spoke dryly.

"Look, Mione, what he did was horrible, and I honestly do not know why he speaks all those horrible things to Harry, but I talked with him, and he assured me he will at least be neutral to Harry from now on."

"I hope he does so. Sometimes I fear that Harry starts to hate Snape like he did with James. I mean, James was horrible to him and now Harry is promising his death." The witch sighed, "I will not say that I care for Snape, but you do care about him, and for Harry too."

"Yes, I do. Severus is a second father for me, and I love him... But I care deeply about Harry." Hell, he had said other day to Hermione that he loved Harry. "I love Harry too."

"OH, BUT WHAT IS MY DEAR NEPHEW WHISPERING ABOUT?" Hermione and Draco jumped at Bella's shouts. "So little Dragon is in love with the cute Raven?" she teased. "Don't deny it, Draco Lucius Malfoy, I saw the way you were looking at him yesterday. For a Malfoy, you are not very subtle."

The two witches exchanged a look and right then Draco knew that sooner or later – probably sooner – both of them would force him to tell Harry everything.

"You should tell him, you know. It would be good. Right now I don't think he believes anyone really cares about him," Hermione said calmly.

"Yes, dear nephew... Tell the Raven you love him, or maybe one day you might find yourself under a _Crucio_," Bella whispered on Draco's ear. Well, he knew that his aunt would never _Crucio_ him; yet, she could make his life hell. "Oh, there you are, Mr. Potter!" the Lestrange said and sent Harry a mild stinging hex, which he dodged easily. "You are late."

Harry laughed. The woman was fun, he had to admit, though a little scary too...

"What I want to know is how much do you know about the Dark Arts," she said looking at Harry and Hermione.

"Well, I've read Introduction to the Dark Arts by Markov, Dark Transfiguration for Duels by Thompson, General Curses and Counter Curses by Kotschy," Hermione said. Bella was not too pleased. "I am muggleborn, and it is hard to gain access to these books. Draco has lent me some," she justified. "I practiced everything I've read though, plus the Unforgivables."

Yes, then Bellatrix's eyebrows rose.

"And you, little Raven?" she asked and Hermione suppressed a grin.

Harry blushed at the nickname.

"I've read the ones 'Mione did, plus some others that I found in the Black Library in Grimmauld Place after Sirius' death. He never let people go into the library, saying that the books were dark and evil. When he died, he left the place to me," Harry laughed bitterly. "Not that he cared about me, but it would not be good for his image to die and leave nothing for one of his godsons, so he left the place he hated the most." Then he smirked. "Well, I happen to like the place, but I have been there only once after his death. Kreacher was happy to finally have a worthy master. I talked with Walburga's portrait. Lovely woman, I must say. I wonder why Sirius never liked her," he finished sardonically.

Bellatrix laughed. She did not know her cousin had left Grimmauld for the boy, but it was good to know the place was in the hands of someone with common sense and dark.

"I'm glad to hear you own Grimmauld. I hope you let me visit sometime, I would love to talk with Aunt Walburga."

"Of course... But I cannot go there until I am seventeen," Harry snorted. "James formally forbade me. Gringotts sealed the house."

"Well, knowing that library I can imagine how advanced you are. Did you practice all you've read?"

"Almost all of it, plus the Unforgivables as well," Harry said with pride.

"And you Draco, are you capable of casting the Unforgivables too?"

"Yes, Aunt."

"Well certainly your father would have held the Unforgivables until you were sixteen, against my will of course. I am glad that you studied by yourselves. Tell me, how did you practice Dark Arts while at Hogwarts? I have always thought the old fool would have wards to alert him the use of Dark Magic."

Harry smirked, his eyes shining. Draco was relieved to see that on the raven's eyes again.

"I am really good with wards. We used the Room of Requirement, I built wards that would contain all the Dark Magic inside the room."

"Impressive. And which animals did you use to practice?"

"Well... We used mice for the Avada Kedavra." Harry spoke. "Imperius and Cruciatus we started with mice as well, but then we used this on people to..."

Bella narrowed her eyes.

"Well, I see you using Imperius on each other... However, I can't think that you are masochist enough to let been _Crucio_'d."

The teens exchanged amused glances and they shrugged. It was Draco who spoke, smirking.

"You see, there is a boy, a Gryffindor," Draco sneered in disgust, "called Ronald Weasley." Bella smiled... That story was good – the Malfoy-Weasley feud was old, and it seemed that another Weasel was on the wrong place at the wrong time. "He likes to shout how Slytherins are evil incarnate and all that crap... He also liked to call Hermione names. We did not like that, obviously."

"So you thought he would be a good practice-dummy." Bella finished.

"Basically yes. We did not kill him because it would be difficult to dispose of the body. I don't think anyone would notice though, the Weasels have so many spawns that his absence would had not been felt."

"How amusing, dear nephew... You must tell your father about the Weasel." Draco nodded.

They stopped the talking, and Bellatrix proceeded to help them with duelling. Hermione and Harry could cast the spells with more strength than Draco, but he was much more agile having practiced duelling his aunt much times before.

At the end of the lesson the teens were exhausted, Bellatrix was fierce and vicious while fighting, and she had no difficult to deal with the three friends.

"You are good," Bella congratulated them. "But you will need to train more if you want to succeed among the dark," she added with a psychotic grin.

* * *

><p>The remainder of the summer was quite exciting yet calm for Harry. He stayed at Malfoy Manor most of the time, though they visited Hogsmeade two times. The trio of teenagers received their O.W.L.s results. Hermione and Harry got higher grades than Draco, though his performance in Potions granted him extra points. Lucius was quite unhappy with his son's E in Transfiguration – which the blonde knew he only got thanks to the Ravenclaws' help.<p>

James' audience was a fiasco. Dumbledore himself witnessed in his defence, telling that James was a marvelous father, and that Harry was probably stressed with the O.W.L.s and the prospect of finally needing to make important decisions about his future. Liam Potter, of course, said that Harry was always trying to seek attention. James suspension was revoked, though Harry's custody remained with the Ministry.

The Lord Potter's defender had even had the audacity to claim that Severus' and Lucius' Pensieve memories were made up – alleging that Snape was a well known brilliant occlumens and Legilimens, and that he could have faked them.

And that is why the Headmaster had called Severus.

"Severus, good evening," Albus said in a monotone tone.

"Good evening, Headmaster. To what do I owe this visit? I have already given my classes' plans for the next year last week."

"Yes, I am aware, Severus. I called you to talk about your deplorable act regarding James Potter."

Severus glared and snorted. Helping the brat was really getting him tired. But some part of this was Lucius' fault – he had assured him that the Ministry would not favour Potter.

"Deplorable? I was called at Malfoy Manor to heal the boy when he was brought in a dreadful condition. Lucius did not want to let Potter return to James' care, much to my agreement. I merely gave my_ real_ memories of the incident in the hope of seeing that despicable father paying for what he had done to his son."

"Now, now Severus, don't you think it is time to forget this grudge you have with James? When I gave you a job here I thought it was for the best, to assure that you remained under good influences. I feared, my boy, that you might have taken a darker path, and I am glad you did not, but you need to let got of this hatred you feel."

Severus was internally screaming at the man. 'Darker path? I am a Death Eater, do you want something darker than that?'

"I am also worried that you still have this friendship with Lucius Malfoy, you very well know that he is suspected to be a follower of Voldemort." Severus resisted the urge to wince when Dumbledore spoke His name.

"I am Draco's godfather, I cannot simply cut the ties with them. Besides, nobody ever proved he is a Death Eater," Dumbledore shook his head. "What is exactly the purpose of this conversation, Albus?"

"I want to ask you, Severus, that you stop this childish persecution of James Potter. I know you dislike him, and I know you loved Lily. Do you think she would approve you using her son to take revenge on James?"

In all those years, Severus was never closer to hex Dumbledore than in that moment. Lily would always be his weak spot. There was so many conflicting emotions regarding her – love, anger, regret, guilt – that the mere mention of her name was almost forbade by the Potions master, and the old wizard was trying to use his feelings against him.

"I did not use the boy."

"Oh, and you helped him out of the goodness of your heart? The whole Hogwarts know you hate Harry Potter," Albus sighed. A Potions master of Severus reputation was hard to find, and he did not want the man out of his wing for another reason – Albus knew Severus was a bitter, resentful person, exactly the kind Voldemort sought to join him, and the old wizard wanted to avoid losing another person to the Dark.

"Look, Severus. James is a very important person in the fight against Voldemort. He is important in his work as an Auror and in the Order of the Phoenix. Please, I ask you to not seek revenge because of his jokes when you were in school."

It was useless to argue with Dumbledore, so Severus only remained quiet. James did not make _jokes_ with him; he systematically humiliated him.

Snape nodded and left without saying anything more.

* * *

><p>"What did Dumbledore want, Severus?"<p>

"He openly asked me to stop trying to seek revenge on James Potter, my Lord. He also questioned my friendship with Lucius."

Voldemort sighed. Albus was a fool and liked to pretend being blind. Indeed, Severus was a brilliant occlumens, but memories with such detail could not be faked with needed precision. The old coot was obviously fretting at the possibility of James Potter losing his precious job as Auror.

"And he does not suspect of you?"

"He said that he fears for me, that I have too much hate which could lead me to the dark, but no, I do not think he suspects."

"Good. And he does not invited you to join that idiot group of his?"

"No, though he keeps asking me to brew Potions for the Order. I believe that right now James Potter would be overly adverse to my presence in the group. I apologize, my Lord. Had I known, I would not have helped the Potter brat."

Voldemort wondered if he should tell Severus that said brat was his, but he concluded that no. He was a Dark Lord, not a family counsellor. He would eventually tell the truth, of course, but when it was convenient, probably when Doholov and Lestrange brought in James Potter.

"It is alright. Eventually, when the War finally begins, he will need you more and your knowledge about Defence will be useful; Dumbledore will accept you in his order. Until then, James Potter will be out of the picture too." Severus smirked at the last sentence. "You may go, Severus. Lucius has a list of the potions I will require on your next summon. Keep an eye on the students that might be recruited."

"Yes, my Lord."

* * *

><p>September 1st came fast, and Harry was looking forward to go back to Hogwarts. For years the school had been his home, the only place where he felt he belonged. Draco was made prefect and was patrolling the train, which left him and Hermione alone.<p>

"Harry, I want to talk with you."

Potter sighed. He knew Hermione wanted to talk with him for a long time, but he avoided it at all costs until now. He looked at her and tilted his head, waiting.

"You said James never went so far like this summer. I know something changed, I want to know what."

"Nothing changed, 'Mione. Perhaps he'd drunk more this summer."

"Do you think I am stupid, Harry? Tell me what happened."

Silence.

She watched him warily. The witch had a good guess about what happened.

"I think he discovered something about you."

Harry's eyes widened and he looked away.

"If it was that you are using Dark Magic he surely would have told the Headmaster and you would have been expelled," she paused. "So... I believe he found out about your preferences."

"How do you know?" Harry looked at her, completely horrified.

"This is a secret of mine. I have known for some time right now. Why did you hide it?"

Silence.

"Look, I am not an idiotic homophobic, nor is Draco. And I bet some of our other friends are not either, like Luna, Neville, Blaise, Daphne..."

"Please, Hermione, don't tell anyone!"

She raised her eyebrows and her lips thinned a little, but she finally nodded in agreement.

They passed some time in silence. Harry was lost in thoughts. During his stay with the Malfoys he noticed Draco was acting... Oddly. Bellatrix and Hermione whispering things to Narcissa when they looked at him, what made him extremely uncomfortable.

The worse was that Harry started to look at Draco... Differently. But the raven was sure that whatever were his feelings, they would never be returned. Draco, a Malfoy, surely would have and arranged marriage with a girl from some respectable family...

Hermione knew what Harry was feeling and thinking, she had perceived the way Harry was looking at Draco since two weeks ago...

'Well, well, well... Sometimes you are too dumb for a Ravenclaw, Harry. Perhaps I will need to be a cupid.'

Some time later Luna Lovegood joined them, they chatted until arriving in Hogwarts.

"Your next months are going to be tough, Harry. You should be aware of the Nargles!" the blonde girl said and left to talk with some of her other friends.

Harry rolled his eyes, the girl had just sounded like Trelawney.

But she was right. Well, except about the Nargles.


	6. September Ashes

**Hello people! **

**I'd like to thank my beta Living. Like. A. Boss. and everyone who reviewed!**

**I don't know if this is how you imagined this chapter, but that's how it felt right for me. I hope the angst is not too exaggerated, though I've written the majority of this chapter listening to Draconian and Tristania, so I cannot assure that the angst parts are not overly distressing.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 – September Ashes*<strong>

Harry and Hermione were watching the Headmaster's speech.

"And the new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts will be Auror Nymphadora Tonks!"

The students cheered. They were hoping that the young Auror was not like their last teacher, the former Auror Alastor Moody. He had been insane and a danger to all. No one understood why he had been allowed to teach them.

Nymphadora stood and smiled. The staff was smiling too, except Snape, who was scowling, as usual.

"She seems nice," Hermione commented.

"I know she was trained by Moody," Harry replied.

"Well... She didn't work during the war, so I don't think the insanity had reached her yet."

"I hope so... She is friends with my father."

Hermione snorted. Another Auror teaching them. Moody had been bad – always using Harry as an example and telling everyone that he succeeded because his father was an Auror. As if James Potter would ever teach Harry something.

A second year student approached Harry and gave him a note.

"Who is it from?" Hermione asked.

"Professor Babbling. She wants to talk with me after the feast."

.

"So, what did she want?" Hermione asked when Harry returned to the common room.

He was smiling brightly, excitement shown through his entire figure; but his eyes were reserved.

"She offered me an apprenticeship!"

"Oh, that is wonderful, Harry!"

He shifted slightly.

"Yes, but she said that because I am underage, she will require the Headmaster's approval. He probably will talk with someone from the Ministry, since I am under their custody right now."

The young witch sighed loudly.

"I am sure Mr. Malfoy will work this out. You are lucky that James lost custody over you in the summer, or you would never be allowed in this apprenticeship."

"Yeah."

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><p>It was the morning of September 7th, and it did not look like a special day, but later in that day the reality of a greasy-haired Potions professor will crumble. An owl dropped the Prophet besides Severus' plate. He dropped his fork in surprise when his eyes laid on the headline, and had to fight his lips, which insisted to twitch in a smile.<p>

_**HEAD AUROR JAMES POTTER KIDNAPPED**_

_On Tuesday, September 4th, after finishing a routine inspection in one of the Auror's Headquarters, with another three Aurors, James Potter was attacked by two Death Eaters. _

"_We were attacked behind our backs, two of us were stunned before anything else happened. James and I tried to fight, but they were, of course, using vicious curses and hexes. I was stunned. I believe James could not fight both of them off by himself," said the Auror Andras Jones. _

_Since the Death Eaters used stunners, it is clear that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named needs information from the Head Auror, and wanted him alive._

_We can only hope that James Potter is still alive and that he escapes somehow and gets back to his family. Liam Potter, his oldest son, who is in the Auror training program declared that he is frustrated with the Ministry's timid actions against the followers of You-Know-Who._

_Arthur Weasley, James' friend and Ministry employee, agrees with Liam. He is now heading a group within the Ministry that asks for authorization to raid estates of suspected Death Eaters._

"_Last month my friend was accused by Lucius Malfoy of abusing his youngest son and was suspended of his Auror duties temporarily, as you all know. It is unacceptable that a follower of You-Know-Who tries to taint the reputation of a respectable man and nothing is done against him. He knows how important my friend is in the fight against his Master, and when his attempt to shame James was unsuccessful, they resorted to violent actions," said Weasley._

_Lucius Malfoy abstained from commenting on Arthur Weasley's allegations regarding Potter, though he said, "Time after time I proved that I have no participation in that terrorist organization called Death Eaters and that I work only for the progress of our country. It is deplorable that Mr. Weasley is too blinded by a family feud that the Malfoy Family had already forgiven ages ago."_

_For more information on James Potter consult page 6._

_For more information on Arthur Weasley's laws proposes consult page 8._

_For more about Lucius Malfoy consult page 11._

Snape put the paper down and saw Dumbledore looking at him with intense eyes. He kept his expression blank. He scanned the head table to see how the rest of the staff was reacting to the news. Most of them did not look overly worried – it was just another Auror taken by Death Eaters. Minerva looked pale and tired... Of course, her loved Marauder was missing.

Tonks looked like she was about to cry. The pink-haired menace (as Severus called her) was clutching the paper in her hands tightly, her eyes tearing.

The headmaster was still looking at him, and he resisted the will to sneer. He looked at the Ravenclaw table, searching for Harry Potter. The boy was talking with Granger and was pointing at the paper. He seemed relieved, even happy. Draco approached their table and put a hand on Potter's shoulder. The raven-haired looked at him and smiled. Merlin, didn't the boy know how to be subtle? It would not look good to the others to see him celebrating because Death Eaters kidnapped his father.

.

Harry did not know exactly how to feel about the news. His father could very well be dead by that time and he felt conflicted. He had wanted the man dead for years, and now that it was close to being true, he felt a little regret. Hell, if it weren't for that man, he would not be alive, right? He loathed being James' son but he preferred to exist, no matter who his parents are.

But another side of the young raven refused to feel any mercy or gratitude towards the man. He knew deep inside that he would rather be somebody else's son. That side was laughing, cheering and only lamented the fact that he would take no part on James' death. That side won, it had won years ago, had it not? One of his hands was shaking, reminding him once again of one of the many reasons why he hated the man.

The last summer. The worst experience of his life.

The green-eyed teen told everyone that he was fine now, but the truth was far from that. He still had nightmares, and when his wand was returned he started to cast silencing charms on his room. He had always have nightmares, but since _that_ day they became much, much worse. He was trying his best to avoid cutting, and only did it once since he returned to Hogwarts.

Harry smirked and looked at Hermione. Her eyes shone with happiness – finally her friend would be free. He could not keep his smile hidden anymore. His lips twitched slightly and he adjusted his Occlumency shields – in the case that Dumbledore tried to look in his mind. Who knew when the old wizard intruded himself in private affairs?

Someone put a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Draco smirking, grey eyes looking at him with intensity. Draco hugged him, surprising Harry.

"If anybody asks, I am comforting you because of your father's disappearance," Draco whispered. Harry laughed low. "I am happy for you Harry. I know you wanted to finish him, but you can rest assured that he will be well treated."

"It is alright... I am just glad that I will be finally free from him. It does not matter if I cannot do it myself... I do not know if I would be capable of."

Draco frowned.

"I thought you wanted to."

"I wanted him to suffer, and if someone is causing him pain then I am okay," Harry said in a low voice. "But part of me just wanted to _Crucio_ him until he can't ever think again and use all those curses he used on me. Break every one of his bones and burn his skin."

They stayed in silence after that until all of them finished their meals – because frankly nobody knew what to talk about.

"Let's go, our first class is Potions." Hermione called.

They walked quickly down to the dungeons. Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass joined them.

The Potions class had only a few students. The four said Slytherins, Harry, Hermione and four other Ravenclaws, Neville Longbottom and another Hufflepuff as well as a lone Gryffindor. Not many had gotten 'O' on their O.W.L.s – and Snape would not accept anyone with less than that; and among those who did get that, only those who would follow carriers that demanded Potions – and some Ravenclaws – were taking the class.

Potions was going fine. Harry was cutting Mimbletonia root, the repetitive work causing his hand to shake terribly, but he was hiding it quite well. Snape was on his desk grading essays, though he seemed to be thinking about something else.

Harry put some of the ingredients in his cauldron, his hand trembling again. And then it happened. He dropped more roots than required. The reaction was instantaneous, the potion started to boil and soon the cauldron exploded.

"Potter!" Snape shouted.

Never in all of Harry's years at Hogwarts had he failed a potion. Never.

"What is it, Potter? Are you so worried about your dear father that you cannot even make a third year potion correctly?" He sneered. "Does not surprise me. _Evanesco_."

Snape knew. The bastard _knew_ that James' torture had caused him nerve damage. The professor knew that Harry was always perfect in Potions, and that his shakes caused that, the boy was sure of that. But what to expect from the git? Draco had tried to convince him that his godfather would stop being so unfair, but it was evident that he was incorrigible.

He glared at the Professor, whose expression turned into an outraged.

"Detention, Potter. Your father would be disappointed if I were to allow you to be an unruly brat, would not he?"

That. That hurt. Snape knew that he had suffered hell because of James _discipline_.

_Unruly brat._

_Liam is so better than you are._

_Your mother would be alive._

_Disappointed._

His hand shaking, reminding him of the summer.

Harry could not stay there anymore. He got up and calmly left the classroom, ignoring Snape shouting at him and Draco and Hermione calling his name.

* * *

><p>James woke up after what he knew it was a series of stupefies. The last thing he remembered was fighting two Death Eaters.<p>

"James Potter. How kind of you to join us," Voldemort said in an amused voice. James glared at him. "You should not look at me this way, you are, after all a guest here." The Dark Lord laughed and the Death Eaters snickered. Bellatrix's high-pitched laugh echoing around the dungeon. "Please, my Death Eaters, take off your masks. Our guest will not get out of here, and I want him to see your faces."

Voldemort paced around the Auror, who was facing now the Lestranges brothers, Bellatrix, Lucius Malfoy and Antonin Doholov. Lucius smirked when James' eyes laid on him full of hatred.

"Rabastan, Antonin, I know you are eager to play with him. However, he is a gift for another one of your fellows." Both Death Eaters nodded. Everyone knew how Severus despised everything Potter, so it was obvious that James Potter was his.

A house elf popped on the room and gave something to Lucius.

"My Lord, the Veritaserum you requested." Malfoy gave the Dark Lord a vial of the crystalline potion.

"Good. Lucius, interrogate him about everything on the Ministry, Auror works, Headquarters and missions on the run."

It was a quick interrogatory, no more than thirty minutes and the Dark Lord now knew a lot of Auror plans. When Lucius finished he was ordered to give Potter another dose of the serum.

"Now, my dear ones, this is when the fun really begins," The Dark Lord said and stood up.

"You are aware that Harry Potter is not your son, are you not?"

"Yes."

"And you do know who is his father, don't you?"

"Yes."

The Death Eaters were confused - why would their Lord worry about that? And how did he know the boy was not Potter's son?

"And who is his father?"

"Severus Snape."

For a moment everyone but Voldemort held their breaths. Lucius was the most nervous, being the closest to the Potions master. Well, all the blonde knew was that James Potter would die a gruesome death.

"Who else knows this?"

"Sirius Black knew."

Well, it was a good thing that her cousin was already dead (for him, of course), Bellatrix thought. The witch just pictured what would happen when Severus discovered... It was going to be beautiful. Now she understood why the boy looked so familiar...

"And Lily Potter, did she know?"

"No, I obliviated her."

"And you obliviated Severus as well, did you not?"

"Yes."

"This will suffice. Lucius, give him the antidote." The blonde obeyed.

"Lucius, your arm," Malfoy gulped. He knew who the Dark Lord would summon and he was anxious. Severus was not a person who overly enjoyed torturing, but if he had something against someone it was different. Just like Sirius Black case - it was one of the most sadistic displays Snape ever showed. He and Bella absolutely broke the Auror, he was begging for death when they were done with him. Worse than any other, Severus could be cool while torturing and not lose himself to the pleasure, making it last much longer.

"You are not to tell Severus anything. You all know how he is a skilled Legilimens, I doubt our beloved Auror will resist long... I am sure our dear Severus will enjoy taking the truth out of this vermin."

Bellatrix laughed maniacally. Oh, she would just be a voyeur today, but that would be almost as good as doing the dirty work herself.

* * *

><p>Snape was at his lab brewing to calm himself. He was expecting a summon sooner or later with the news of James Potter's disappearance. He knew his Lord would give him the Auror, just like he gave Black to him and Bellatrix. He had even brewed a potion to stop James from dying or going insane under torture - would not want precious Potter dying before his time, right?<p>

He had been nervous the entire day and if he was honest with himself, he was ashamed by the way he had snapped at Harry Potter. He was so eager, so anxious that he took his anger on the first one who messed in his class. And he had humiliated Harry. Again. It was a N.E.W.T. Class for Merlin's sake, and the boy messed up a relatively easy potion.

Then he felt the burning sensation and forgot everything else. It was painful, yes, but also glorious. It was good that Dumbledore never suspected him, or it would be difficult to get out of the castle. He summoned his mask and hasty exited Hogwarts, passing through the wards and apparating.

Severus landed on the hall of Malfoy Manor - all Inner Circle Death Eaters were keyed to the wards. A house elf greeted him and told that he was expected in the dungeons.

"Dear Severus," Voldemort greeted at the sight of his follower. "Do remove your mask, I am sure you will want our guest to see you tonight."

Severus took off the mask and smirked at the sight of James Potter.

"I know, my dear one, that you were eager for this moment... However I feel that there are some things you must know about this man," Voldemort said pointing to Potter, who was held kneeling and looking at Severus with an icy glare. "Legilimize him, Severus. Search for Harry Potter in his mind. It is not an order, but I believe you will find pertinent information about this. Do whatever you want with him. He is yours." And with that Voldemort left the room.

Snape was beyond confused, especially because the other Death Eaters were looking at him with... Worried expression? He drew his wand, said 'Legilimens' aloud and entered James' mind with the most strength he could gather.

Potter's defences were even respectable – how the thick minded Gryffindor had managed to accomplish that was beyond Severus. He forced the walls around the Auror's mind in a way that _should_ be painful. Soon the walls started to fall, and glimpses of memories began to appear. He looked for any memory about Harry and found that most had hatred, anger and contempt associated. He saw scenes of James cursing the boy, beating him; scenes of his rape.

Severus watched a little Harry trying to talk with James but being ignored. He saw the way James looked at the child for the first time, when he was only a baby... It was not normal; it was disturbing that the man hated the boy since his birth.

_James was looking at Harry in the nursery. His hazel eyes burning with hate._

"_You should not have her eyes. Such a waste. Liam doesn't have her eyes, but you do."_

_Little Harry was looking at James with innocent eyes. _

"_You will pay for taking her from me."_

Severus looked for older memories, as he had not found anything important until then – and by the suggestion of the Dark Lord he believed there must be something meaningful.

_James saw Lily taking some memories and saving them in a flask. _

"_I already know, Lily. I know what you did. No need to hide those memories."_

_Lily turned to face him, her eyes shining with tears. _

"_Why, Lily, why?"_

"_I don't love you anymore, I don't know if I ever really did," she whispered. James face twisted in pain. _

"_But why him?"_

_She closed her eyes and replied in a barely audible voice. _

"_Because... Because I still love him." _

_She placed her hand on her belly, smoothing. _

"_And this child will be from the first man I ever loved."_

_James threw the chairs on the floor, kicking and breaking them. _

"_You cannot tell everyone that you cheated on me. Your son will be a bastard!" he shouted._

"_I want the divorce, James. And Severus will recognize him as his son."_

The memory vanished suddenly when Severus lost any concentration he had.

That... That meant that he had a son, that James Potter knew...

"_Crucio_," Severus whispered – because he could not bring himself to not use an Unforgivable, and it was too soon for James to die.

He lifted the curse and entered James' mind again. Now he sought directly for the oldest memories regarding Harry Potter.

_Severus was in the hall of Potter Manor hugging Lily. James was hiding in a corner listening to their conversation._

"_Lily, of course I want this child. I... You know I have always loved you." _

"_Oh, Merlin... Severus I am so sorry for causing all this trouble in our lives. I forgave you years ago, before I married James. I... I don't know why I married him... But now I will do what I should have done," she looked at Severus and smiled. "I will be with the person I really love."_

_Severus shut his eyes. All that was overwhelming. Lily had forgiven him, and she loved him. They were going to have a child. He smiled softly. His child. His and Lily's._

"_I will divorce as soon as possible." _

_A red light struck Severus and he fell to the floor. Lily screamed._

"_I knew you would call this bastard here today, so I decided to wait for him. _Expelliarmus_." Lily's wand flew to James' hand. "_Stupefy_." _

Severus watched in horror and anger as James obliviated Lily and him. The bastard made him forget that Lily forgave him, that she still loved him. The bastard erased any memory of his son.

The memory was played again, as Snape wanted to hear again those words. _The person I really love._

He got out of James' mind, who was now panting on the floor, and passed his hand through his hair. He organized his mind using Occlumency, not letting his emotions overcome him.

Severus needed to think. He had arrived in Malfoy Manor with the sole purpose of torturing James Potter until death. But now he did not know what he really wanted. Yes, eventually he would kill the bastard, but it was hard to know how much he should suffer first.

Now he could understand all the hate James felt for Harry. It was not because of Harry himself, but because of him, Severus. It sickened him that Potter could go so low at the point of abusing a child to take revenge on him.

And there, deep inside, a little voice was accusing that he had made the same.

Looking in the mirror was being horrible.

"_Detention, Potter. We would not want your father finding an unruly brat if he ever comes back, would we?"_

_Green eyes looking at him with pain, hurt._

_Harry walking away from the classroom._

That... That made Severus feel that he deserved all the pain he suffered during all those years.

He took a calming draught from his pocket and downed it in one gulp.

He had never hurt the boy like James did. Had he?

"I want him alive until I say otherwise. You can do minor things with him, but I want him totally sane," he told the Death Eaters gathered. "I... I need to go right now."

He left the dungeons, robes bellowing behind him.

Bellatrix smiled.

"You should know that abusing a Death Eater's son was not a intelligent idea. _Bullio_." James squirmed as the blood-boiling curse hit him.

Lucius followed Severus in a hurry.

* * *

><p>Draco, Hermione, Blaise and Pansy were looking for Harry since when he disappeared after running away from the Potions class. He did not show up for lunch or dinner. Draco and Hermione were really worried that he had done something... Foolish. The Headmaster basically told them that they should leave Harry alone, and refused to send the staff looking for him. Flitwick was busy to help them. And Snape, well, no one even bothered in asking help from him, since he was the cause of all the trouble.<p>

"Point me Harry Potter." Blaise tried the spell again.

"It will not work, Blaise. Harry must have warded the place where he is to repel locator spells," Hermione said. "We will need to do this the Muggle way."

"It would be better if we separated. Hermione and I look in the fourth and above floors, you two look in the third and below. When we finish it we will look in the dungeons together," Draco commanded.

Blaise and Pansy nodded and walked towards the first floor.

Draco felt that he should has gone after Harry when he ran away from Potions... But he never thought Harry would disappear. He kept thinking about _what_ his friend was doing alone... Though he knew that Snape was not going to be a reason for Harry to do something... Drastic – or he hoped so. It infuriated him that Dumbledore did not want the staff to collaborate on the search; the man had no sense of responsibility at all? _'I am sure Mr. Potter just wants to be alone for a while. If by curfew he does not show up I will have the staff to look for him.' _And Draco could not even explain _why_ he was so worried, or he would betray Harry's trust.

Normally he would have gone to Severus, who would help then if it were any other student. But right now it would do no good to see his godfather.

Then it occurred to him: his father was part of the Board of Governors; he could force Dumbledore to send the staff to look for Harry... But perhaps he was overreacting? Harry was fine, of course he was. Yet, it would be safer to talk with his father, besides that the Headmaster could even be advised for being so careless.

"We need to go to my common room. I will floo call my father, he will make sure that the Headmaster is punished for taking so long to look for Harry."

* * *

><p>Severus nursed his third glass of firewhiskey. He was not sure if drinking until unconsciousness was the right thing to do, but he could not think of anything else. Lily forgave him. He had a son. James Potter abused his son – cursed him, beat him and <em>imperio<em>'d someone to rape him. It was... He could not even find any word to describe it.

Where was Lucius? He was sure the blonde was following him when he left the dungeons. It was obvious that all the Death Eaters already knew – probably when James was interrogated under Veritaserum as was all the captives that had information.

Dear Merlin... The way he treated the boy for all those years... It was so unfair, so silly, so disgusting...

And he did not know what to do. It was not as though he had suddenly developed love for the boy, but... But he was his son for Salazar's sake! He _wanted_ to know him, at least. But... Well, probably Harry would not want anything with him, especially after today. He finally had done what he wanted for five years: make him leave the classroom. And suddenly it felt horrible; the sensation was not of victory _at all_.

"Severus?" He heard the hesitant voice of Lucius calling him. He finished his drink and looked at Lucius.

The blonde's face was blank as always, but his voice showed that something was wrong.

"Exactly what did happen on your N.E.W.T. Class today?" Snape looked at him with wide eyes. How did he know about that?

"How do you know about that?"

"Draco floo-called me, he was really upset and worried. It seems that since Pott—" Lucius stopped and watched Severus warily, "since Harry left your class today he disappeared and Dumbledore refuses to send the staff looking for him. Draco is worried that with all the tension Harry is feeling today he maybe has done something... Foolish." Malfoy paused before speaking again. "My son is really upset with you, I must warn. What did you do?"

"I compared him to his fath—" He swallowed, "James." The name was spat. "He exploded a cauldron and I snapped at him."

What should he do? Get back to Hogwarts and help in the search? Go and throw a few curses on James Potter? Drink himself unconscious? Snape sighed loudly.

He hurt the boy. He hurt his son... And then he remembered the summer – all that happened and all that he learned about Harry.

"_Did you know that he cuts himself to ease the pain? When his bastard of father humiliates him, when his fucking brother tells him how he is a good son. And when he has a particular bad Potions class. Congratulations, Uncle Severus, your little project went perfectly."_

Draco's words echoed in his mind... The idea that his son was somewhere in Hogwarts, perhaps an empty classroom hurting himself because of him...

He had been wrong, so wrong and for so many years... He wanted at least to show Harry that if he had known he would never be that bastard. But he was afraid.

Yes, for the first time in years Severus Snape was afraid, because he knew that he had no right to suddenly ask for forgiveness and be given it. No, he did not deserve it. But oh, he so fucking wanted it.

'Given his previous experience with a father perhaps he will not be so adverse in being my son...' Severus thought bitterly.

The idea of drinking until the blissful unconsciousness was tempting, so tempting... But selfish. And right then it was not the right thing to do. He suddenly got up, walked out of the manor, exited the wards and apparated back to Hogwarts. Severus Snape did something he had not done in many years: he put someone else's needs above his own.

* * *

><p>Harry knew he was being a fool. Snape was nothing; he did not deserve to be the reason of his anguish. He was just a frustrated bastard who hated him and wanted to make his life hell.<p>

But Harry believed Snape's words. He knew he was a disappointment, has been since his birth.

He pressed the dagger on his arm again and made a shallow and long cut. The other cuts were bleeding profusely now, and he wondered if it was the blood loss or the several hours he passed without eating that were causing him to fell _so dizzy_. Maybe both.

His father was not coming back, he knew that. He knew James was going to die.

He wanted things to be different, he wanted his mother to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. If only she had not died...

_This morphine cloud hanging over me  
>Like a snow-white curtain;<br>This beautiful haze overruns me  
>So I erase myself from you; the cure for my sanity...<br>And here I am, unwilling to forgive myself(**)_

If only he had not killed her.

And then... Then it was when he understood truly why part of him was hesitant that he could really kill James Potter. Because he had already killed his mother... And it was his fault that James treated him badly.

So it was his own fault if he killed his father because of his treatment.

He ignored completely the rational side of his brain that told him that he was just a baby when Lily died, and that he had not fault at all.

He _wanted_ to cry because his father was going to die... He _wanted_ to cry being embraced by his mother when James' corpse was left tortured to death somewhere.

It hurt. A lot.

Because he would never know how it felt having a loving family.

But there was a way to have this, right?

_So lost in this remedy, your spirit is haunting me;  
>consumed by indifference<br>I scream in your silence where shadows conceal me...  
>I'm cursed to search for you<em>

And was it worth?

The side of him, which wanted to be the child that never existed, told him that it was. It told him that he would be united with his mother and that when his father met them he would forgive him. And they would finally be a family.

It was easy, right?

He just needed to cut a little deeper and in the right place.

His rational side was cruel and told him that James would win if he did that.

That if he did that then he would be a disappointment...

But for whom?

Himself.

And did it matter?

Did _he_ matter?

Would someone feel hollow if he was not alive anymore? He wanted it so desperately. He wanted his father to be right, at least. And he craved to believe that he had indeed killed Lily because then his father had a reason to hurt him.

_The dream died before it was born,  
>Innocence is lost...And so am I<br>But still I pretend to be strong  
>Still I wonder where I belong<em>

His rational side won and he tossed the dagger aside and curled himself. And finally let the tears pour from his eyes. He did not notice the blood still running from the cuts.

* * *

><p>Severus entered the Slytherin common room looking for Draco. Daphne Greengrass looked at him with an icy glare. Apparently he was persona non grata with the sixth years.<p>

"Ms. Greengrass," He greeted. "Do you know where is Mr. Malfoy?"

"He is looking for Harry," she replied with an accusatory tone.

Severus conjured a Patronus and sent it with a message. It took fifteen minutes for Draco to arrive, along with Hermione.

"Your father told me that you might need help to find your friend," Snape said calmly.

"I don't want your help."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I believe Harry used a ward to repel locator spells?"

Draco nodded, frowning at Severus' use of Harry's first name.

"So you will need my help. Wait for me here."

Severus left them and went to his potions' lab. He always maintained a locator potion for cases like this. It required though the use of the blood of a parent. He pierced his thumb and put a drop of blood in the vial. Then he performed a series of spells that were part of the ritual. It was Dark Magic, but he did not care.

Then he cast a simple point me spell. A smile on his lips when it worked. He knew Harry would not have cast anything against that – he had no reason to.

He got back to the common room and muttered a 'follow me' to Draco and Hermione, walking towards the deep dungeons – where the spell pointed him to go.

* * *

><p><strong>*Yes, the title is taken from the homonym 'song' (it's more a poem) by Draconian (don't know if any of you knows the band.)<strong>

**** Lyrics from "Morphine Cloud" by Draconian as well.  
><strong>


	7. Conversations

**Hello people! Here is chapter 7. It is a little shorter than the others, but it is compensated by the gigantic last one. **

**Thanks to my beta Living. Like. A. Boss. and everyone who reviewed!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7 - Conversations<strong>

They found Harry in an old classroom deep down in the dungeons. Hermione was suspicious the entire time, why was Snape suddenly worried about Harry? And how the hell did he make the point me spell work?

There was a puddle of blood in which Harry was laying in. On the other side of the room there was a dagger. Draco hurried to check on Harry.

"This bracelet you use should have been enchanted for self-harm too," Hermione told Draco.

"Yes, I think so." Draco did not know any diagnostic spells, so he checked Harry's pulse manually. The raven's skin was cold and wet.

"Excuse me, Draco," Severus said. He approached Harry, waving his wand over the teen's body, casting diagnostic spells. Harry was not in mortal danger, it seems that his own magic had already started to stop the bleeding, though one of the cuts was deeper than the others, and blood continued to run down from it. "He will be alright," the professor said in a low voice and cast clothing and cleaning spells on the cuts. "I will cast a disillusionment charm and levitate him to my office. I believe you want to keep this to as few people as possible?" he asked, eyeing both Draco and Hermione. The two nodded. "So I will not take him to Madam Pomfrey."

"And where will you take him to then?" Draco asked suspicious.

"To my chambers," the blonde opened his mouth to protest but Severus cut him off. "I will not discuss this, Draco."

They walked silently until they reached Snape's chambers, where he treated Harry's injuries under the scrutinizing gaze of Hermione and Draco.

"Ms. Granger, would you kindly inform the headmaster that Pott—Harry has been found and that everything is all right?" Severus asked, but letting no room for argument. She nodded and left to find the Headmaster.

"The Headmaster is not worried about Harry, there was no need to inform him that he was found." Draco said.

"I already know that, Draco."

The teen narrowed his eyes.

"What are you up to?" he asked suspiciously. "Why are you calling him by his given name? Why did you bring him here and healed him yourself?"

"I am not 'up to anything', as you put it. There are a lot of things that I cannot explain now, Draco." Severus sighed. "I need to talk with your friend when he awakes. You may stay here with him, since tomorrow is Saturday and you do not have classes."

"I am still angry at you," the blonde said glaring. "It was probably you who triggered this," he added cruelly.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded, standing up.

"Should he feel any pain, give him this potion," he said, giving Draco a vial with a blue potion and then he left.

.

Draco stroked Harry's hair. It was not as silky as usual, due to the previous events. He looked so peaceful sleeping, that no one could tell how much he was suffering. He had believed that Harry was recovering since the horrific summer, but it seemed he was wrong. Yes, Severus had been a bastard and all, but he honestly meant nothing to Harry and the blonde could not understand why his godfather's words had so much effect on his friend. He – and Hermione too, of course – had tried to make Harry talk about that, but he refused always. Perhaps that was the reason because he was still in so much pain. Draco would make to sure that Harry would talk about his problems once he was awake.

He traced the scars on Harry's arm. He had refused potions to erase them – Merlin knows why – and continued to use glamours to disguise them. The unmarked skin was soft and silky.

Severus was... Weird. He first vanished from Hogwarts – probably to see the Dark Lord – and came back calling Harry by his first name. Perhaps something shocking had happened at the meeting. Had James Potter been killed already? Draco laughed bitterly thinking that maybe Severus was acting that way out of _mercy_ for Harry because he was going to be an orphan...

Harry opened his eyes and found Draco's greys staring at him.

"Hi," he said timidly and forcing a weak smile.

"Hi Harry," the raven felt a weight on his hand and looked to find Draco holding it. "You have no idea how worried we were. In the next time that you decide to hide yourself in a corner to cut yourself, please don't ward off the place." The tone was a little harsher than Draco intended, but he did not exactly minded that, because he had a right to be at least a bit angry. Right?

"Maybe I did not want to be found," Harry replied dryly. "I was not trying to kill myself, all right?" He did not mention that he did cogitate that. "It's not my fault that you overreact!"

"Overreact?" Draco asked in disbelief. "Why do you think I have this bloody bracelet?" he questioned pointing at his wrist. "Because I worry about you, because I care about you. Can't you see this?" he paused, taking his head on his hands. "Let me help you, Harry, please. Talk to me instead of hurting yourself," he finished in a whisper.

"I'm sorry," Harry pondered. It would be good to have someone to talk about everything and maybe that could help. Cutting _felt_ good, but perhaps it did not help at all. "I think I can try." Then he realized that the room he was in was not his dorm or anywhere he had ever been in. "Where is this place?"

Draco paled a little and swallowed before replying.

"If you were taken to Madame Pomfrey she would ask questions, so Severus brought you to his personal chambers and healed you. No one knows what happened."

"Snape," Harry spat. "Why did he do it?"

"I..." Draco hesitated. "I honestly do not know. He was acting weird yesterday when he treated you."

"Yesterday? So I passed out the night here."

"Yes. Are you hungry?"

"Not really. I think my stomach is upset because of the potions I was certainly given," Harry could still feel the foul taste of the blood replenisher.

"The we could talk..."

"All right. I will try to."

"Well. The first thing I want to know is this: why do you care so much about what Severus says? I mean, I could get upset if he talked that way with me, but he is my godfather. You don't particularly like him, right? So why do you care so much?"

Harry was expecting an easier question... But he forced himself to answer that.

"Because I know that many things he tells me are true."

"Of course not!" Draco said hastily. "You know that he says things to you because he is a git that for some reason has some against you. He is good at being a git, you know. I know that he chooses the words simply to hurt people. None of those things are true, Harry."

Yes, Harry knew that Snape had something against him – only Merlin knew why – still, it was hard to disbelieve the man's words when Harry himself already believed them before they were even spoken. It also bothered him that the man hated him so fiercely. Because really, he never did anything wrong in class and was always respectful. Harry's face must have betrayed his thoughts, given Draco's next words.

"Please, Harry, don't say that you care about him. I understand that is not pleasurable to have someone always belittling you and all, but please, don't let him affect you."

"It's just that..." the raven hesitated to continue. Did he really want to expose himself that much? "It's just that I am always being reminded that there are people who hate me, but I never listened anyone tell me that..." Tears threatened to roll down his face, and his voice was shaken, but he forced himself to finish. "That I am loved."

_Pathetic. Ridiculous. Really, Harry, are you that hungry for affection? Are you that desperate for someone to love you? The one person who might have loved you is dead..._

Harry shook his head trying to shun those thoughts away. There was a knot on his throat and he knew that sooner or later he would break and cry. He shut his eyes to avoid the tears.

"Harry," Draco called. "Harry, look at me." When he still refused to open his eyes, the blonde touched the other's cheek, caressing it slowly. The action made the raven open the emerald eyes again. "Listen to me, very carefully," Draco continued. "I love you."

Harry stared at him for what seemed an eternity. Hoping to believe those three words, trying to trust that the blonde was telling him the truth, and not just trying to comfort him. His eyes watered.

"I am here for you. Always." Draco smiled softly and pulled Harry in an embrace. "I am telling you the truth. I just ask that you please let me help you."

Harry rested his head on Draco's shoulder, and that felt so good, comfortable and so right. He felt the blonde's arms tighten around him and right then he was not ashamed anymore. If those words were true, so he could cry.

Draco felt something warm and wet on his shirt and realised that Harry was crying silently. It was heartbreaking to know that he was the first person to tell Harry that he was loved – though it was probably obvious knowing the raven's past.

"I am sorry, Harry, for not telling you sooner," he whispered.

* * *

><p>After leaving Draco with Harry Severus returned to Malfoy Manor. He was not by any means a person to ask for advices, as certainty has always been a constant in his life, except for now. Honestly, he did not know what to do. More precisely, he did know <em>what<em> to do, he just did not know _how_. He would apologize to Harry as soon as the boy was stable emotionally. But what would he tell? '_Oh, I am sorry for being a bastard to you for five years, but hey, you are my son! Isn't it wonderful? Let's forget the past and be a family_.'

So that was why he asked to speak with Lucius about that, after all, he was a cold person too, who thought before acting but that despite this had a family which he loved very much; he even managed to be a decent father.

"I trust everything went all right at Hogwarts?" Lucius asked.

"Better than it could have been, worse than I hoped." They stayed in silence for long minutes, when the blonde lost his patience.

"For once, Severus, accept that I know more than you about a subject."

Snape raised his eyebrows, indignant.

"And what subject would that be?"

"People."

Severus laughed.

"I am a master Legilimens and an almost spy. I _know_ people," he snarled.

"You analyse people and infer rationally what they are going to do next. People are not always rational, you of all people should know that."

"Excuse me?"

"You waltz around there thinking you are oh so rational and cold, but you are not, Severus." The dark haired man was going to protest, in an outraged way, but Lucius continued. "I understand that you don't like to teach those children, and that you are not pleasant to them, but you were always particularly nasty to the Potter children. The older one, from what I have been told, is a waste of space, arrogant for nothing just like his useless father. However, this does not justify your actions towards him. Harry, on the other side, is nothing like James and you always treated him horribly anyway."

Lucius sipped his tea, giving Severus a break to process the words before he went on.

"You wanted to take revenge on James Potter. You should have treated his sons, or at least Harry, who is smart and respectful, in an amicable way. What would be worst than having his sons _adoring_ you? That would be the best revenge." And then, came just the icing on the cake to render Severus speechless. "Would you like to be treated badly because of _your_ father?"

Snape pondered. Yes, Lucius was right, but he would not admit it aloud – yet.

"So if you know so much about people, tell me what is your great idea on the case."

Lucius grinned.

"You have to apologise, of course. But you must apologise because your actions were nasty and not because of on whom they were inflicted. Honestly, it is all right to humiliate some dimwits when they explode cauldrons or to make some first year cry with a glare. But you persecuted Harry, who unlike his bro—half-brother did not react, in a childish and cruel way. It would not have been fair, he being your son or not. You need to understand this and apologise for it."

Severus nodded, immerse in thoughts. It was so hard to admit to himself that he had been as much blinded as Potter and that he had been quite unfair to a child – or two, for that matter – because of their father's sins. Lucius' idea of revenge was brilliant – he had to accept – and had he followed as the blonde suggested, now his son would at least like him. But no, he had to be ignorant like James and fuck up everything...

He had a lot to think, but first he needed to pay a visit.

"Thank you, Lucius. This conversation was rather enlightening." he stood up abruptly, and a grin began to form on his lips. "Now I believe I have an unfinished talk..."

* * *

><p>Severus found James Potter unconscious in a cell. He had some bruises, burns and cuts on his arms and face, but nothing too horrible.<p>

"_Enervate,_" he chanted and waited some seconds for the Auror to become aware of his surroundings. "James Potter, good evening." A mocking laugh punctuated his voice. "Though I am not sure if this will be an enjoyable evening... For you."

"Fuck you, Snape!" James shouted and spat on Severus face.

"Tut, tut... You're clearly still too brainless to understand when you are not in position to insult anyone. Not that this surprises me," he paused and drew his wand. "Or perhaps you know that nothing you can do will worsen your... predicament."

"That blasted boy cried for mercy, and I give him none. You can torture me all you want but nothing will erase what I've done to him."

"This is true," Severus said in a cold voice. "But I will reduce you to nothing. You will beg for mercy, but just like you, I will give you none. And you know very well of which kind of mercy I am talking about." his voice silky, yet dangerous. "You will beg to die, and I won't release you... Only perhaps when I grow bored of playing with you, but I assure that we will have too much fun before it."

James laughed.

"I will never beg you anything, Snape."

"That is what Black told me," the Potions master smirked at the pained face of his prisoner. "But, anyway... You and Black are different persons, though the lack of intelligence is quite the same in both of you. In the end we will see if you are alike in other aspects too. _Fractio Ossa_." James groaned when his arm was broken.

"_Ignis aeris_." That was a spell developed by Bellatrix, which made the victims feel as though the air they breathed burned their lugs.

"In that last memory Lily said she did not love you. I wonder what she would tell you now." He released the curse and James finally could breath properly. "I bet she would hate you for what you have done to her son. _Our_ son. I even wonder if she would let me kill you or if she would want to do it herself."

"NEVER! She would never do this. SHE. LOVED. ME." James yelled, his eyes looking crazed.

"Is that so?" Severus mocked. "It seems that you are really slow to learn, Potter. We must correct that. _Legilimens_." He searched for that specific memory in which Lily told she loved Severus. "_Vivificabit memoriae_." The curse would make the same memory replay indefinitely.

Snape left James in his cell and walked out of the dungeons. He had a plan to execute.

* * *

><p>TBC. Please review! =)<p> 


	8. Beginnings

**Hello people!**

**I'd like to thank my beta Living. Like. A. Boss. and everyone who reviewed!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Beginnings <strong>

Harry fled from Severus' chambers as soon as possible. He did not understand why the professor had treated and spared him the humiliation of going to Madam Pomfrey – who would treat him like a disturbed suicidal. Draco spelled his bracelet to inform him if he cut again, and that was really good because it would be the strongest thing keeping him from self-harm...and the fact that the blonde told him _that_. Harry was not sure if he really believed his friend's word, or if those words were spoken out of pity. He hated pity. But there was something about the blonde's expression, about his voice and about his attitudes that made Harry cling to the hope that they were true.

Draco and Hermione were whispering things. The witch seemed suspicious about something – apparently the fact that Snape could find him despite the wards. Well, he did not understand how the professor did it too, but he was a powerful wizard and all, so he must know something to trace him. Harry did not mention how powerful the wards he cast had been, he really did not want the girl pestering him with theories about why Snape found him. Not now.

Monday's first class was Potions and Snape had been in bad mood as always – even if he was slightly better with the N.E.W.T. Students – but Harry noticed that the professor avoided looking at him, so it was a surprise that he was asked to stay behind after class.

"_Oh. Wonderful. Just breathe, Harry, and remember what Draco told you. Don't let him affect you."_

He felt Draco tense beside him, and saw Hermione glare at the professor. Both stayed after class too.

"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger, I do not recall asking you to stay after class," Severus said dryly.

"No, but..." Hermione started.

"So I request that you two go. Now."

"Severus..." Draco tried but was soon silenced by a glare.

"It's all right, you can go," Harry said, looking pleadingly at his friends. They _were_ embarrassing him; he did not need them trying to protect him that way.

"Good," Severus said in a low voice when they were alone. "Have a sit, _Mr. Potter_." The surname was still spoken in a not-so-neutral tone. Harry could feel the negative emotions in the professor's voice when he spoke 'Potter.'

"I want to know what caused you to fail the potion on Friday's class. You are not like that; your potions are usually acceptable. You've never failed once. What possessed you to mess up a simple potion?"

"_Is he really admitting that my work is usually good? Or he is just trying to insult me by telling that the potion was easy... And he knows why I failed it."_

Harry took a deep breath and glanced aside uneasily.

"I am not trying to belittle you. I am merely curious about what happened, and I am willing to give you another chance to complete the potion today after classes."

"You already know why, _sir_," Harry said with a small voice.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"I am afraid I do not. Please, enlighten me."

Harry looked at him with disbelief.

"My hands were shaking, sir, because I was subjected to the _Cruciatus_ eleven times in the summer. Accidentally I put more Mimbletonia roots than I was supposed to," the raven replied with a little anger in his voice.

Snape's eyes flashed with something, but Harry could not identify what before it was gone and his unreadable expression was back in place.

"Very well. Come here at 7 sharp to make your potion. The detention I assigned you on Friday is cleared."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said dumbfounded. He was starting to think that maybe Snape had some really serious mental problem. The man's mood oscillated like the waves of the ocean.

.

Severus watched Harry leave the classroom and finally let his mask fall. He was angry with himself, so angry. He had treated the boy after James tortured him; it was _he_ who told Harry that he had nerve damage... And in that moment, when the cauldron exploded, he had not connected the dots. It was obvious that _something_ had been wrong with Harry that day, because the boy's potions were perfect, even if the professor never admitted it.

A shy smile appeared on his face when he reckoned that the boy had inherited some of his talent with potions, and he wondered if Harry would have been more enthusiastic on the subject – like he was with Runes and Arithmancy – if Severus had treated him decently. There were, after all, several potioneers in the Prince family.

* * *

><p>"He what?" Hermione yelled.<p>

"He kind of told me that my works are good, cleared my detention and that I will be allowed to redo the potion I messed up on Friday," Harry replied.

"This is weird," she added.

"I think Severus is finally seeing some sense," Draco debated. "Perhaps he will keep his word to me and treat you neutrally."

"I don't want you to fight with your godfather for me," Harry complained.

"I don't want to fight him too, but if he persists in being a jerk, I will."

"Why?"

"Because you are my friend and I care about you and besides, he's wrong."

They finished lunch and continued on to the Great Hall, chatting with other Slytherins.

"Oh, fuck!" Blaise Zabini exclaimed whilst reading a letter that he had received, paling severely.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked.

"My parents... They are in Azkaban."

Draco also paled.

"Why? What happened?" the blonde asked in exasperation.

"The law that Arthur Weasley was trying to get passed was approved and Aurors raided our Manor. It seems that it happened some hours ago... Oh Merlin! They found several dark artefacts; my father was arrested for being a Death Eater and for having those artefacts. My mother was arrested for association with a Death Eater. They... They are going to be interrogated under Veritaserum!"

Draco looked at the head table looking for his godfather, but he was not there.

"Fucking Weasel!" He cursed. "I swear that I will kill the Weasel spawn if my father or mother or Severus are arrested. Or Aunt Bella..."

Blaise continued reading the letter.

"Draco..." he called hesitantly "The Lestranges were arrested too."

The blonde took a deep breath.

"Let's get out of here, go to common room and find Professor Snape..."

They hurriedly went to the Slytherin common room; Harry and Hermione followed them too. There they found a sobbing Pansy Parkinson being comforted by Daphne Greengrass – who at least was calm enough since her parents would not be arrested. They were not involved with the Dark Lord, even if they did not oppose him.

"So... It's the Zabinis, the Lestranges, the Parkinsons..." Draco enumerated. "Who else?"

"Michael Jugson from seventh year received a letter with more detailed information." Daphne said. "It seems that his father was arrested too. The Carrow siblings, Aurus Rookwood, the Goyles..." she looked at Draco. "You know how much Weasley hates your family..."

"Oh no—No! Please tell me that they were not arrested. Please..."

"There was no information about your family, but it is likely that they will be..."

"NO!" Draco shouted. "My father will find a way. I know that my aunt will not break under torture, Rookwood neither, and the Carrows..."

"But they will use Veritaserum!" Hermione protested.

"But my father most likely was at the Ministry when the law was approved, and he will find a way to give them a fake potion. I am sure all of them can pretend to be under its effects."

"Please all of you sit and calm yourselves," A silky voice sounded from the door.

"Severus!" Draco called.

"You all will act like Slytherins. I know that the situation is distressing, but you are not to snivel in the corridors, cry in the great hall _or_ curse any Weasley student," he emphasized the last part. "I lament that your parents were arrested, but they must face the consequences of their choices," he hissed. "That said, if any of you need to talk with me, my office will be open for you between nine and ten. I will not coddle you, but I will do my best to gain information about your family," Snape turned and left abruptly.

The invitation was just a disguise, and those students who knew that Severus was a Death Eater understood that he needed to talk with them.

"Fucking Weasel! I wish we had not obliviated his son when we played with him," Hermione whispered to Harry, who nodded. "Then he would be terribly afraid of what the Slytherins are going to do now."

"You've heard Professor Snape," Greengrass interjected. "You will only get in trouble if you do anything to the Weasleys here in the castle. You all know how Dumbledore favours them."

.

Transfiguration was hell. The Slytherins still had the class with the Gryffindors and Ronald Weasley kept making jokes and mocking the Slytherins. McGonagall, obviously cheerful by the news that Death Eaters were being arrested, and severely biased, did nothing.

"What is the matter, Malfoy?" Weasley said laughing. "Too worried that Daddy will be screaming when the Dementors of Azkaban kiss him? I bet he will cry like a girl."

Draco's blood boiled and he pointed his wand at Ronald.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Minerva almost yelled. "Attacking one student in my class. Fifty points from Slytherin and detention."

"He was taunting me!"

"Do I look like I care, Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked raising one eyebrow. "Drawing your wand at a fellow student is unforgivable." Weasley snickered along with other Gryffindors. "Now, back to the class..."

* * *

><p>"Please accompany me to my office," Severus said when Harry came to redo his potion.<p>

"But the potion..." Harry protested.

"You will do it tomorrow. I need to talk with you." They reached the office, which was decorated with Slytherin colours. "Have a sit."

Severus watched Harry warily. The boy seemed confused, but not fearful or nervous.

"I planned to postpone this conversation, however, given the recent events I am afraid that I may have not time enough to talk with you should anything go unexpectedly."

Harry nodded and tensed. He did not like the professor's tone, not a bit.

"Very well. I must admit that my attitude towards you in the past five years was... not ideal." Harry's eyes widened. Was Snape really apologising? "I am aware that you never give me any reason to be hostile towards you, and the explanation I have for my behaviour may not be acceptable. I ask that you listen what I have to tell without interrupting me."

"Yes sir."

"To be perfectly clear, I loathe James Potter, and the feelings are returned. He and his friends, especially Black, bullied me when we were students here. I will not go into details about this." Harry clasped his hands on his lap. The conversation started to make some sense, and he could already see where it was going. "Your mother was my best friend, and she usually defended me against their pranks. She and I dated for some months in our sixth year."

Severus paused and folded his arms, looking at Harry to see his reactions.

"When I began to delve into the Dark Arts she left me, and in my stupidity I told her something that was not true and that was nigh unforgivable. In Seventh Year she started to date James, who had been pursuing her since the sorting ceremony."

Harry was trying to absorb all that information. Really, his mother had made some bad choices when it came to date...

"This made me hate James Potter even more. I blamed him for all the things lost in my life, and ignorantly I extended this to his sons," the professor leaned on the desk. "I know that this does not justify the way I treated you, though your brother never respected me and may have deserved some of it. However, this is the explanation I give you. I never really hated you because of anything you did; I wanted to take revenge on Potter's son. I was highly unfair," he admitted and his voice contained something near defeat, what unsettled Harry. They stayed in silence staring at each other for some moments.

"Why did you tell me this now, sir?"

Severus exhaled loudly. "Because I would like to apologise and in this case I needed to explain you my reasons for acting the way I did, even if they do not excuse me. I would like to reach an understanding with you. Many things I told you were untrue and spoken out of my wish to hurt someone associated with James."

Harry thought about all of that. Of course Snape had been totally unfair and almost childish to vent his hate for James on him and Liam... But the man was apologising – actually apologising, not using half words to say this – and that made gained him some points. If he was doing that on his own accord.

"Did Draco ask you to do this, sir?"

"No. My godson did express his wish that I act neutrally towards you, but I do not think he would ever have the petulance to ask me to apologise to you. I assure you that I am doing this entirely on free will."

Yes, Harry could see that. It was hard to believe that Snape would do anything that anyone _asked_ – except the Dark Lord, of course.

James never apologised, and he was his father and had done much worse things than humiliate him in class. Perhaps it would not be so hard to forgive the professor if he actually changed.

"I think I can work on that, sir, with time," Harry said hesitantly. He was glad that Snape did not hate him, and that he said that those cruel words he told were not true. It assured him that maybe James had done the same.

"Good." Snape looked conflicted and he seemed to have something more to say. "From what I've heard, I take that you share with me my feelings towards James Potter. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir. I am glad that he will die or already died a horribly death."

Snape pursed his lips and nodded.

"He is still alive. He was given to me by the Dark Lord."

"Oh!" Harry only wondered what Snape would do to his father. He tried to feel bad for him, but again he could not.

"What he did to you was unforgivable and inhumane. I assure you that he will pay for everything. Is there anything special that you would like me to _tell_ him?" he asked in a clearly suggestive tone.

"_All right... Snape is asking what kind of torture I want to be inflicted on my father. This is a sick conversation, I am sure... But actually it would be nice to send him something, since I will not be able to give him personally._"

"Sir, did you just apologise and are now asking which curses I want you to throw at James?" Well, Harry had not really intended to say that aloud, but he could not control himself.

Severus had to suppress a smirk. "I believe I just did. Will you take up the offer?"

"Just one _Crucio_. He cursed me eleven times but did not hold it for very long or I would surely have gone insane. I want him to feel like he lost all hope, to wonder how many centuries he's been under the pain," Harry replied coldly. "I bet James will not bear it like I did."

Harry found it odd that he and Snape were actually having a civilised conversation. It seemed that having an _enemy_ in common helped to put their differences aside, if only for a moment.

Snape's eyes flashed with something... Was that amusement? Harry reckoned that it must really be amusing to see the son of the man you hate discussing his torture with you...

"You may go now. Return tomorrow at 7 sharp to make your potion."

"Thank you, sir." Harry said and left, only then noticing that Snape had not called him 'Potter' the entire meeting. It was odd.

Harry thought about everything Snape told him. If the man was really willingly to reach an understanding he was too. Forgiving the man though would take a longer time...

* * *

><p>"Rise, my faithful Death Eaters," Voldemort spoke softly. "We will now face hard times. Some of your fellow comrades were uncovered and are now imprisoned in Azkaban. We have been acting too lightly in the last years. Now it is time to proceed with force, determination and without mercy to our enemies." Some of the Death Eaters were shaking, having experienced curses when Voldemort was informed about Weasley's law approval. He was not angry with them, but in moments so serious like that he really did not pay attention on whom he was cursing.<p>

"Lucius explain what happened."

The blonde took a step forward and trembling began to speak.

"In a session of the Wizengamot Weasley's idea was voted in. He had been gathering support in the last few weeks. Dumbledore supported him completely in his speech. The polling was closed, but they won. I had no time to inform anyone, I just ran to inform you, my Lord. I knew that Weasley would made sure that my home was one of the first to be raided, and had I been uncovered there would be no way to help those who were arrested."

"You did well, Lucius. Proceed."

"When the Aurors arrived at Malfoy Manor they found nothing. I had to go there and pretend to be indignant. Then I returned to the Ministry and made sure that the Death Eaters would receive a fake truth potion. Those who were arrested I could not help, but they are not going to expose those who were not."

"Good. As you all see our strategy to conduct our revolution mostly politically failed. Now we will act, but first we will break them out of Azkaban. I want every information that exists about that island," he waved his hand dismissively. "Lucius, stay behind."

* * *

><p>"Draco, did you really mean what you've told me on Saturday?" Harry asked when they were alone in an isolated place in Ravenclaw tower. He hoped that they were. Because of those hugs, because of that night when he had asked Draco to stay, and because it was easy to get used to affection…<p>

"Yes."

"Why?"

The Malfoy took a deep breath and locked his eyes with Harry's.

"Because you are a strong and intelligent person, and—"

"I am not strong," Harry interrupted. "Not even my family likes me, much less love. Why do you? Are you playing with me? Why did you tell me after all this time?"

"Because... When I told you that, I meant in a way that might not be mutual."

Harry narrowed his eyes and thought about what the hell the blonde was just saying. He had buried his more intense feelings for the blonde over the first week in Hogwarts, feeding those emotions would only get him hurt, buried six feet under false hopes.

"When I told you that I love you I really meant it."

"Oh God! I am so slow..." Harry whispered. Those looks, Hermione and Bellatrix whispering – they knew! Bloody Hermione knew and did not tell him a thing.

"I see you understand," Draco said in a low voice.

"Of course I do! I am not _that_ daft..." Harry replied dryly. "Your parents?"

"They are fine with my orientation."

"Really?" Harry said surprised. "I guess it is not a pureblood thing so..."

"What, Harry? What is not a pureblood thing?"

The raven took a deep breath.

"That is why James went so far. He found out I was gay."

"Oh. The fucking bastard..." He tightened his hands around Harry's. "Thank you for telling me, Harry."

"You know that Hermione and your aunt are two little bastards... I caught them whispering and pointing at us all summer."

"You don't know half of it. Aunt Bella threatened to _Crucio_ me if I did not tell you how I feel. She pestered me all the summer."

"That woman scares me," Harry said chuckling. "She was not serious though, right?"

"No! But I would not put it past her to send me a howler or something of the kind," Draco's expression became clouded. "So... Oh, Merlin, this conversation is totally weird!" He scratched his head. "Are you not offended by the way I feel?"

"Of course not!" Harry said, emerald eyes shining. "You are the first person to hold me, to let me cry, to say that you love me. How could I be offended?" Draco did not reply. "You are worried that I would not think about you in the same way... I don't even know how you could feel like this. You are so wonderful, beautiful... and I am nothing special. During this summer I began to think about you differently, but I thought that your parents would arrange your marriage with some girl from a respectable and important family..."

"Really? You were interested in me already. This certainly makes this easier," Draco said and kissed Harry's lips gently, causing the raven to gasp in surprise. "You're special. I would not kiss anybody who wasn't."

Harry pursed his lips and exhaled loudly.

"I really don't know what I've done to deserve this, but I am happy this is happening."

Draco embraced him. "You deserve this for who you are, Harry. Will you let me help you through it all? I know you are not all right..."

"Yes, please," Harry whispered.

Two young witches looked at each other and smiled at the scene. It took less time than both of them believed, and they did not even had to help.

* * *

><p>Severus received an owl from Lucius stating that the Dark Lord expected Harry to give some <em>advice<em> in the matter of Azkaban's wards. That was a really tough project, and the Potions master knew it. He really hoped that Harry would be inclined to do it. Helping to set Death Eaters free was almost the same as being marked, not that he really expected Harry to be of much help; as much as he was quite talented on the subject, Azkaban had one the most ancient and powerful defences in the wizarding world, even more impenetrable than Hogwarts'. But the boy was starting an apprenticeship in in Runes with Babbling so who could really predict what he would be capable of if enough motivated.

It was fun to know that Lord Voldemort was seeking advice from a sixteen year old. Perhaps he always studied more Curses and Rituals and neglected Arithmancy and Runes? Most of the Death Eaters were quite talented in Spell-crafting, Charms and Transfiguration, easier subjects that could be used more in combat. Now he wanted to know how much Harry knew about the subject, and would talk with him after he made his potion later.

He also intended to tell Harry about the discovery of his parentage. It was going to be hard, but he needed to do it soon. With the persecution to Death Eaters at high he could suddenly find himself under accusations if something went wrong. He wanted Harry to know the truth as soon as possible – just in case.

He glanced at the Slytherin table. Harry and Granger were there today. Most of the Slytherins were in a bad mood, worried with arrested parents or soon to be arrested parents. He noticed that Draco and Harry were looking at each other differently. Something changed yesterday. His godson was worried with his father and aunt, surely, but he was also happy with something – or someone – Snape thought. He sighed and rubbed his temple. Dumbledore looked rather joyful that morning. The Prophet had been dreadful, praising the decision of the Wizengamot and condemning the fact that _Dark_ families had _Dark_ artefacts in their homes. It was a pathetic discrimination. Some of the people arrested were not Death Eaters, and some were but this could not be proven... Yet, the Ministry sent them to Azkaban just because of their magical inclination.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Potter, good evening," Severus said in a neutral tone when Harry arrived.<p>

"Good evening, sir."

"The ingredients are on the cupboard. Should you need anything, do not hesitate to call me."

"Yes sir."

Severus sat on his desk to grade essays while Harry worked on the potion. He glanced sometimes to watch the boy preparing the ingredients, mixing them and then stirring the contents of the cauldron. He did not seem to love potions, but it was clear that he at least found the task of brewing enjoyable. Thank Merlin the potion was a quick one to brew, and in one hour Harry finished it, letting the time Severus wanted to have a serious conversation.

"Mr. Potter please follow me into my office. I have two important issues to discuss with you."

Harry found that odd – two days in a row that Snape called him to talk.

"Have a sit." Harry took a seat in front of Snape. "Very well. I am aware that you have been telling your closest friends about your will to become a Death Eater. The Dark Lord is aware as well." Harry tensed and nodded. "How much do you know about wards, Mr. Potter?"

"I manipulated the wards in Potter Manor without my _father_" the word 'father' was said with a hint of disgust "knowing it. I could manipulate them without setting them off. I thought at first that this was because of my blood, but Mr. Malfoy allowed me to try it in his manor and I could do it too, though his wards are tougher to deal." Harry smirked then. "I have some projects to test here at Hogwarts, but they involve a high level of Dark Magic, including potions with ingredients that are illegal, so I do not know if they would work, though I am very confident in this."

Severus narrowed his eyes. The boy had plans to manipulate Hogwarts' wards? Was he insane? Not to mention that it was a bit arrogant to presume he could do that.

"Should this project of yours work, what exactly would you achieve?"

"I would be able to deceive the wards to believe I am the Headmaster. I could lock, open, apparate in the grounds, manipulate all the portraits. I could let anyone inside the school." Harry finished in a suggestive way.

"Impressive," Severus muttered before he could stop himself. Harry's eyes widened at the compliment. "As you might guess, the Dark Lord is rather displeased that several of his followers are locked up in Azkaban." The raven-haired boy paled when he realised just where the professor was trying to go with that conversation. "I see that you understand what I mean."

"Yes, sir." Harry fidgeted uneasily. "I would not say that this is impossible, but I would need a lot of information. It would take a lot of time, of course, and I could ask Professor Babbling's help, indirectly obviously."

"I will see that you receive all the data you need." A long pause "You do understand what this _work_ means, right?"

"Yes, sir. It is a step closer to me being marked."

The professor nodded and seemed to get nervous, anxious. It was a bit scary to see him like that in Harry's opinion.

"There is another issue I must discuss with you." he waved his wand locking the door and clasped his hands over the table. "I locked it because you need to hear everything I tell you without running away. Do you understand?" Harry nodded. Normally that would make him very nervous, but he could break through the ward on the door if he needed.

"I assume you remember everything I told you yesterday."

"Yes sir."

"Very well. I do not exactly know how to tell you this without going directly to the point... on Friday, the Dark Lord summoned me. James Potter was a prisoner. By the time I got there he had already been interrogated under Veritaserum. The Dark Lord suggested that I legilimized James. You know what is Legilimency, am I right?" When Harry confirmed it, Severus went on. "He told me to look for memories about you. What I found was a surprise, to put it mildly."

Harry felt the panic beginning to rise. Snape, of all people, saw what James did to him. Oh yes, he already knew what happened with him, but seeing was another thing entirely. Though that would not be a surprise... Harry frowned. What did that mean?

"I found out that I was obliviated, and your mother as well. James Potter obliviated us." Harry only raised one eyebrow in response. "Lily forgave me three years after we've finished school. James obliviated all of it. I could only see two memories that evidenced this. I do not know how it happened, how we approached each other again. By that time your brother was already three years old." There was a long pause before Snape spoke again. "You are not James' son."

Silence fell over the room. Harry gulped audibly. '_You are not James' son_.' Part of Harry was laughing, celebrating the fact that the bastard was not his father; he did not have James' blood on his veins. But other part was simply... Lost. All that Snape told him before those five blessed words could only mean one thing... He shut his eyes and rubbed his temple, because a headache began to form.

Severus watched Harry warily, waiting for a burst, for the boy to deny it, to hate what he was saying, but none of that happened.

"You are my father," Harry stated.

"Yes."

"And you only found this out on Friday?"

"Yes."

Harry nodded. So Snape did not know that for all those years. That explained why the man was acting so oddly in the last days. That's why he was avoiding calling him by name, obviously not wanting to call him 'Potter', but neither calling 'Harry' as they had no closeness.

"If I knew I would never let you living with that bastard."

Then realisation hit Harry. James abused him because he wanted to take revenge on Snape! Just like Snape did, though the professor in a much lighter way...

On one side, Harry felt better, because his father had not abused him. Who hurt him through all of those years was a sick man that had no limits in hurting a child to take revenge because of a school grudge. On the other side he was angry for all the times when he felt mercy for James out of the strange feeling of gratitude that he had.

But his father had to be Snape?

He looked up and saw the professor watching him with expectation. What should he say? Harry did not even know what to _think_... Did the man want to be a father at all? Would he tell that if he did not want?

Wait...

Snape hated James Potter, and for all intentions and purposes, he loathed Harry too... So that could be a sick joke...

"Can you prove this?" Harry asked dryly.

"Yes. I can either keep James alive until Yule break and take you there to see him confess this under Veritaserum or show you my memories."

"I'd rather see him confess."

"I thought as much," Snape replied. Silence continued in the room. "But I can show you Lucius' memory from James' interrogation." he added putting a vial with a grey liquid on the table.

"May I go, sir? Maybe I will want to see this, but not right now," Harry said glancing at the door.

"Yes, you may." Severus replied waving his wand and unlocking the door.

Harry got up and walked fast towards the exit. It was the most awkward situation on his whole life. He just wanted to get out of that place and be alone, and far away from Snape. He needed to think. A lot.

"Sir, why did you tell me this?" He asked before getting out of the office. Snape seemed taken aback by the question.

"I believe it is your right to know."

Harry nodded, whispered a 'thank you' and walked away.

Severus thought that the conversation went better than he expected. Harry did not yell, did not deny; he only asked for a proof – what was very normal. He wondered what would happen to them now. Was it too late for a father-son relationship? And did any of them want that?


	9. Can You Carry A Secret?

**I'm sorry for taking so long to update. First my computer decided to commit suicide... Then I began to write my stories using my smartphone, but I wasn't in the mood to write angst... **

**Thanks to my beta, Living. Like. A. Boss!**

**Thank you for the reviews!**

**Chapter 9 - Can You Carry A Secret?**

Harry didn't know exactly why, but he was ignoring Professor Snape since '_that conversation_'. He felt more comfortable this way. After some time alone thinking, the boy came to the conclusion that the man was indeed his father; he could even guess how Snape was able to break the wards Harry built _that _day.

The _Cruor Locator_ potion - he found about it in the library - something that used the blood of one relative to lead to another. Blood was something powerful and Blood Magic was hard to deceive, and the nightmare of every warder. However, Harry could have built a defence to prevent the use of the potion, but he never thought it was necessary - at that time.

Still, he wanted to hear the truth from James.

He reckoned it was a bit - _a lot_ - childish and cowardly to keep avoiding Snape, but he really didn't know what to do with the fact that the man was his father. There was some resentment in Harry's mind, but the feeling that occupied him the most was confusion.

It didn't help that memories from summer were still coming back from time to time. What bothered him the most was the idea that Draco was only _with him_ because of pity. They actually had not talked what they were right now. More than friends, obviously, but Harry didn't dare to think they were boyfriends.

And memories of how Snape treated him were always popping on his mind too. It was hard to believe how that man changed, Harry could not comprehend that the simple fact that he was Snape's son would make the man change. He couldn't trust Snape, because all it would take was one fit of temper in a Potions class and Harry's secrets would be spilled to the entire Hogwarts' population.

Snape was treating him like any other student - but better than Gryffindors, though. Harry wondered how much Snape's dislike for the lions were his fath- James fault.

It was a week since the day when Snape told him the truth, and they were in Potions class. Harry was paired with Draco, they finished their potion and just stood there waiting for the end of the class.

Draco was tapping his fingers on the table and glancing at Harry. The raven sighed. It was hard to keep more secrets. For years he hid very well how bad the summers with James were, and now he had to hide one more thing from his friends. It wasn't as though he could suddenly tell Draco and Hermione that their Potions professor was his father, right?

The blonde was helping Harry, though, even without knowing. The latter was really grateful for the attention. It wasn't that Harry _sought_ comfort, but it was good at least for once in his life to feel a bit wanted and - daresay - _loved_.

"Bottle, label your potions and put it on my desk." Snape's voice snapped Harry out of his reverie. He saw that Draco was analysing him. Wonderful... He was glad that Hermione didn't look _suspicious_ that something was wrong. The witch would not give up until she found out what he wanted, and would pester him if she thought he was hiding something. Draco, though, was less anxious.

"Mr. Potter, stay behind."

Harry approached Snape's desk when the other students had left and put his potion on it. Snape opened a drawer and took a leather book from it.

"Here it is-information that you might need for _your apprenticeship_," he said with a neutral, smooth voice. "Our friend in common expects an analysis on the main points about it."

Harry nodded and just remained there looking at Snape. He wanted the man to talk about their _family thing_ or whatever it could be called. Maybe ignoring the man for a whole week was a bad decision. The teen hesitated before speaking.

"Thank you." Harry said and hastily got out of the classroom.

.

Severus for his part was feeling uncomfortable because Harry was ignoring and avoiding him. Surely, it was totally understandable, but annoying nonetheless. He also didn't know how to approach his son. Maybe the boy was just making it clear that he didn't want a father - a man that treated him unfairly for five years.

Snape sighed. So many things had been taken away from him. Nothing he could do to James Potter would be enough.

During the weeks since his conversation with Harry he observed the boy - his_ son_ - attentively. He knew that Harry was not fine. He hadn't dealt with everything that happened, or he would not be apparently fine so soon. Severus wasn't good with dealing with that kind of problems either, but something inside him wanted to learn how to do it.

Yes, he could not deny. He wanted to help Harry. Perhaps using a pensieve to store the worst memories would be good. He chuckled internally. Severus Snape wanted to help someone. Sure, he had loved Lily, he loved his godson and appreciated the company of a few people; but none of them needed help, none of them had been broken like Harry. And there he was, wanting to take the pieces of the boy and put them together again.

Severus Snape wanted to be a father. Which didn't mean that he would run after Harry if the boy were avoiding him. He was, after all, a proud man. He didn't love Harry.

He kicked the part of him that added one 'yet' to the sentence.

He allowed himself a smirk when he thought about how James would be by then. Severus had, after all, left him under a mind torture curse for days. If the Auror only knew that the only thing that was stopping his death was the fact that Harry wanted to hear the truth from him...

_'Lily, how did we get in this mess?' _Severus muttered under his breath.

His mind got back to what he saw in James' mind. Lily was taking some of her memories in one of the scenes he saw. Suddenly he was really glad that he refrained himself of killing Potter on the spot. Perhaps those memories were still stored somewhere in Potter Manor. That was his last chance to know how he and Lily made amends enough to have a son... Dear Merlin, what a mess!

.

As another week passed Harry didn't know how he could cope with everything that was happening. Two secrets to hide were a lot of trouble and anguish. It was a good thing, though, that he had the matter of Azkaban to worry about, along with his apprenticeship. That way he didn't have time to think about Snape, or the summer.

The boy was withdrawn and Hermione and Draco noticed it. The witch was dying of curiosity, but for once in her life decided to leave him be. Draco, though was worried that he had done something wrong; though he was sure it wasn't the case, and it only left one possibility: that Harry's mind, disturbed as it could be due to everything that happened, was filled with lies, insecurities and wrong conclusions.

Draco found Harry alone and asleep on the Ravenclaw common room. It was a Thursday, the day they didn't have a lot of classes together and he hadn't seen the raven all day. He stood there, just looking at Harry, his Harry for some minutes.

The blonde reached to touch Harry's hair. It was soft and silky. Draco sat at the sofa and put the raven's head on his lap, frowning when Harry didn't wake up, why was he so tired? With one of his hands he took the book that was fallen beside Harry, it wasn't none of the books they used for classes. He rolled his eyes, Ravenclaws, always looking for more knowledge...

Curious about what Potter was studying, Draco opened the book. As he read, a frown on his forehead only deepened. There, written in the book, were sketches of Azkaban, runic symbols that were craved on the island, information about really obscure potions and rituals. In one of the pages, Draco recognized his father's handwriting.

Hell! Harry was helping to break the Death Eaters out of Azkaban.

Part of Malfoy wanted to just wake Harry up and interrogate him, and demand answers about why he hadn't told him what he was doing all the last week. It was clear that it wasn't being healthy. But he just remained calm and composed, as a Malfoy should be.

Continuing to look the book, he found a piece of folded paper inside it. It was wrong to read it, but at the same time he wanted to know just what Harry was throwing himself into. Could it be something more dangerous than helping convicted people to escape Azkaban?

He opened the paper and saw a list of ingredients for a potion. The combination wasn't one known to him. He memorized the list, and decided to look for it later.

Harry stirred and slowly opened his eyes, which widened immediately when he saw Draco reading the book.

"Hi," Draco said and softly kissed Harry's lips. "You are not sleeping, I can see it for the way I found you heavily asleep here."

Harry seemed confused and taken aback by his reaction, and the blonde found that lovely.

"But that's what happens when you are trying to accomplish what you are right now, right?" he said and raised one eyebrow.

"Sorry I didn't tell you, I don't know if I could..."

"I don't like that you hide things from me, especially something as potentially dangerous as this," he said lifting his hand with the book.

Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay, you know... I just wanted you to tell me. Maybe I could even help you," Draco said and Harry chuckled, mocking the blonde.

"If I had a problem with Potions perhaps I would ask your help, but with Runes? I don't think so."

That only raised his suspicion that the potion's recipe he found was something Harry was hiding from him.

"I'm not that bad!" Malfoy protested.

"No, you are good. I am brilliant!"

Draco rolled his eyes.

"And people say that Slytherins like to show off..."

"But you do! You only like to show how powerful you are. We like to show how smart we are... But you know what people say, don't you? Knowledge is power."

Both then laughed loudly, and Draco leaned again over Harry, taking the raven's lips with his and deepening the kiss. His right hand ghosted over Harry's head, caressing his temple, then his cheek and going down his neck. He never dared to do anything else, not only because of what Harry endured in the summer but also because it would be a little soon, and they didn't need to rush things.

They separated, both panting slightly. Harry smiled.

"I like this, you know," Harry said hesitantly, "life is easy when we are like this."

"I'm glad you like it, because I happen to appreciate it very much too," Draco said and Harry snorted playfully.

"Stop talking like Snape!"

Draco laughed.

"I don't know what Uncle Sev would say after kissing someone," Draco grimaced. "Hell, Harry, why did you make me imagine such thing?"

Potter gulped. He really shouldn't have said that. He could very well picture who Snape would kiss and... He shook his head. Those thoughts were very weird.

"Could be worse... I could have said that I saw Dumbledore and McGonagall snogg-"

"Harry!" Draco yelped. "Please stop this, now I won't be able to look at McGonagall in classes and not remember this."

"You are a Slytherin, use your mask," Harry said, winking.

.

One week later Harry and Hermione were waiting in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, it was the first class of the day and the one that they shared with the Gryffindors.

A group of Gryffindors entered the classroom, looked at Harry and snickered. He felt a bit sick. Certainly that didn't mean anything good.

He couldn't pay attention to Tonks, because during all the class the Gryffindors kept looking at him with malice, as though they knew something or if they were planning something against him.

That was odd. Usually Gryffindors only taunted Slytherins. Ravenclaw was the most neutral house in Hogwarts, so whatever those lions had against him, it was personal. Harry felt his blood freezing when he remembered how his brother was a good friend of some of the Weasley children. Coincidentally, Ronald Weasley was one of the Gryffindors that were acting weirdly.

After the class he and Hermione were walking towards the Great Hall, passing through an empty corridor, when it happened.

Someone grabbed him from behind and stunned Hermione. He was shoved into the wall, his back hitting it painfully. They were using black masks.

"You should be sad because your father is missing, because he was kidnapped by those horrible people but you are instead whoring yourself to a Slytherin. This is disgusting."

Harry tried to reach his wand, but someone stopped him.

"You know..." a voice said, full of malice, "someone told us that you can scream like a slut, that you actually did this during the summer."

Harry froze. Liam hated him that much? He knew everything that happened to him in the summer and had told his friends.

"Do you love that disgusting Slytherin? I bet he doesn't love you. It is all only a way to spend his time. Maybe he is only wanting to make you scream like the little whore you are."

"No," Harry said feebly, his whole body shaking.

Someone laughed and Harry was almost crying. Why were they doing that? Did Liam ask them to?

They must have heard someone near, because suddenly they all ran.

Harry fell to the floor, hitting his temple. Now he was crying, totally aware of how pathetic he must look, but unable to stop himself.

Part of his brain was accepting things they told him. His own insecurities fueled with force. Harry's breath was shallow and he was beginning to feel light headed.

Memories came and invaded his eyes. He was living all that again.

"Please, don't..." he begged.

Someone touched Harry's shoulder, causing him to flinch. It was James. He was there to hurt him more, and he had someone with him.

"Please..."

Voices were calling, but Harry didn't know who was there. None of those voices were James'.

Hurt. It hurt. And he couldn't breathe.

Everything went black.


	10. (Un)solved Puzzles

**Hello dears! Sorry for the long time (not that long :P) without updates.**

**Before the chapter I would just like to say that I honestly don't understand what possesses people to make them review on a fanfic that has the warning of SLASH in the first chapter (and summary) that I should pair Harry with Hermione because this would be better than SLASH. Really, I don't get it.**

**It gives me creeps when I see fanfics like George/Fred or Dean/Sam (for Supernatural) or Draco/Lucius... And though I'd rather read, shall we say, Filch/Hagrid, I don't comment on said stories that I don't like incest , for example. I simply don't read it, but if I do I will not make such an idiot review, because I already knew that I didn't like it (or so I thought, at first Snarry used to give me creeps too haha).**

**So please, if you don't like slash be kind enough to restrain yourself on commenting things like that.**

**.**

**Aaaand, I know a lot of people don't like Ginny, but I was tired of in every dark!Harry fanfic the twins being the ones who are nice! But don't worry, she won't play a great role except in the next chapter or so.**

**Thanks to my beta, Living. Like. A. Boss. and to everyone who reviewed (so sorry I didn't reply all of your reviews, I use to do when someone asks something or if I have some time to do so...)**

**Chapter 10 - (Un)solved Puzzles**

Ginny Weasley had heard her brother, Ronald, and some of his friends plotting something. Later she found out that they were going to do something against Harry Potter - a sixth year Ravenclaw. Ginny had seen the boy sometimes; he was always in the company of Hermione Granger or the Malfoy spawn. She didn't know what her brother was going to do, but she was worried about that.

She was walking towards the DADA classroom, taking an isolated path, when the sight before her eyes made her gasp.

Hermione Granger was lying unconscious on the floor, and beside her, Harry Potter was looking lost, completely in panic. Not knowing what to do, she only woke up the Ravenclaw girl, who would know how to deal with the boy.

She poked Hermione's shoulder, and shook the other girl, trying to wake her. It had the desired effect, and she found herself at the receiving end of the Ravenclaw girl's wand.

"Hey!" Ginny cried, "Stop it. I am just trying to help."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and put her wand down.

"I found you and him here," Weasley said, tilting her head in Harry's direction. "He doesn't seem fine."

"Fuck!" Hermione swore, "Harry!" she called, but it had no effect. "Harry!" again, the boy seemed lost inside his own mind.

Ginny was at a loss. She really suspected that it had been caused by whatever her brother did. But she couldn't tell anyone; she couldn't denounce her own brother...

"Harry!" Hermione was becoming hysteric, and Ginny decided to help, calling the boy too.

But none of them could snap Potter out of his daze. His breath was shallow and the way he put his arms around his body suggested that he was trying to defend himself.

"Please, don't!" the boy pleaded.

"Shit," Hermione said, a bit desperate.

"Please..."

"_Stupefy_!" Hermione finally said, pointing her wand at the boy, and he finally drifted to blessed unconsciousness.

Ginny was extremely appalled. What did her brother do to cause such a reaction?

"What happened?" The Gryffindor girl asked.

Hermione didn't bother to reply, though.

"Can you please go to the hospital wing and bring Madam Pomfrey?" the Ravenclaw girl asked.

"Yeah, sure," Ginny replied and went towards the hospital wing.

Too immerse in her thoughts, she didn't pay attention to her steps, until she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she muttered quickly.

"Not so fast, Mrs. Weasley. Twenty points from Gryffindor for being in my way," said the low voice of Professor Snape. She sighed, why did it have to be Snape? Ginny continued to walk. "Ms. Weasley, look at me when I speak to you. Ten points."

"I am sorry, sir, but I am really in a hur-"

"That is not an excuse, Mrs. Weasley," Snape said smirking and the girl just knew that she would lose more points. "Tell me, what is so important that your idiotic Gryffindor brain couldn't even concentrate on such a common task as walking?"

She bit her lip, wondering if Snape would suspect that she had something to do with the attack on Harry Potter - it was just like him to accuse Gryffindors.

"I am waiting, Weasley," Snape said, visibly impatient.

"Someone attacked a student, and I was going to get Madam Pomfrey."

Snape stared at her, as though assessing the truth of what she told him.

"You should have told me sooner, five points for your lack of sense. Where is the student?"

Ginny pointed towards where Harry and Hermione were.

"Go and get Pomfrey," he ordered and stalked towards the direction she pointed.

.

Severus walked quickly towards the direction the Weasley girl had indicated. As much as he disliked the brats in general he didn't want them to be hurt...

First he saw a girl sitting on the floor, her back turned to him. But then, as he walked forward, he saw that someone else was lying on the floor, their head on the girl's lap. He knew very well who that student was. Harry.

"Miss Granger," he said cautiously. The girl turned and faced him with a scowl. She didn't like him, that much Severus had noticed some months earlier. He would take points for her behaviour, but decided to not in the last moment. "What has happened here?"

"Someone stunned me. Weasley woke me up and Harry was," her tone was clipped and she hesitated, choosing her words carefully "not well. I had to stun him, he was in a panic," she finished softly, her fingers brushing over Harry's hair. Snape didn't know why he felt... Something when she did that.

"Did you see who did it?"

"No, someone attacked me from behind."

Severus nodded and pulled his wand, intending to cast a diagnostic spell on the boy, who was extremely pale; thin drops of sweat ran over his forehead. There was a knot on the professor's throat. Granger was an annoying girl, as most of the Ravenclaws, but right then he was happy that his son had the girl in his life - and Draco.

He must have been staring, because Hermione was looking at him oddly, as if asking what the hell he was doing.

He waved his wand over Harry and remembered doing this on the fateful day of the summer. The spell told him that Harry is fine. But the spell knew nothing about feelings, did it?

Snape knelt and pulled Harry's sleeves up, exposing the smooth skin of his arms. But he knew that it was a glamour, so he cast another glamour - a more powerful one. Harry wouldn't want Madam Pomfrey finding that out.

Granger glanced at him puzzled. She surely knew what the spell does. Severus snorted. He was probably looking pathetic. He realized then, that his hands were a little shaky. The girl noticed it too, he was sure, because her expression became even more confused. Snape thought some seconds about obliviating her, but then gave up on the idea.

"Is he okay?" the girl asked.

"Yes," he replied hesitantly, "he doesn't seem to be hurt, I believe that whatever happened was not... Physical."

When Madam Pomfrey came, Severus explained her what happened, and asked for a dreamless sleep potion that she had on her kit. He spelled the contents of the vial directly to Harry's stomach.

"Stop it, Severus, he is my patient," Pomfrey said, annoyed. "Now let me take him to the hospital wing."

"There is nothing wrong with him, Poppy! It was a panic attack, I believe. He just needs to rest."

"What he will do on the hospital!" the Mediwitch said, leaving no room for protests.

He let the woman take Harry to the hospital and went searching for Draco.

He found him in the common room, talking with Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and Neville Longbottom - what was Longbottom doing in Slytherin territory?

"Draco," he called.

"Professor Snape?"

"Come with me," he said and walked towards his office. In which door's Miss Granger was waiting for them.

"Hermione, what happened?" Draco asked.

"That will be answered in a minute, Draco," Severus said. "You two please come in."

Both teens sat at chairs, whilst Snape remained standing behind his desk.

"Your friend, Ha-Potter" how he dreaded to call the boy by that horrible name "and Miss Granger were attacked in a corridor near the DADA classroom. None of them were hurt, but he had a panic attack and is now resting on the hospital wing. Now," he cut off whatever Draco was going to say, "I want to know if any of you know of someone that might have wanted to perform this attack."

"If I knew, they would be cursed," Draco replied - and Hermione nodded, agreeing.

"So you don't have any suspect?"

"No, sir," they replied.

"May I go now, Severus?" Draco asked impatiently. "I want to see how he is."

"Go, Draco."

Draco exited the room immediately, not even waiting for Hermione, who was looking at Snape as though she had solved a puzzle.

"I believe you may go as well, Miss Granger."

She raised one eyebrow and took something out of the pockets of her robes, handing it to Snape.

"Draco found this in one of Harry's... Books."

Severus looked at what she gave him. It was a piece of parchment with a list written on it. His mask almost fell when he read what were those words. All ingredients of the Cruor Locator potion. Damn girl!

"Harry knows it, right?" she half-asked half-stated.

"Yes."

Hermione looked at him for some time, as though trying to understand something very difficult.

"I do hope you are not playing with him," she said coolly. "And I would advise you to tell Draco, because I will if you don't."

"Thirty points from Ravenclaw for threatening a teacher," he hissed. "Whatever you think, Granger, kindly keep it to you. It is not your business," Severus stopped mid-sentence, looking at the girl with a murderous glare. "If Harry didn't tell you and Draco yet is because he does not wish to do so. I strongly suggest you to not push him. I must say that you will be very sorry if you choose to not follow my advice."

Hermione was silent for some minutes, and Severus was glad that he wouldn't need to obliviate the girl; he could see from her expression that she agreed with him.

"Now you may go, Miss Granger," he said dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

.

Poppy Pomfrey watched the blonde Slytherin watching over one Harry Potter. Honestly, she usually didn't like people around her patients, but she had to admit that it was... Cute to see the Malfoy boy so worried about his boyfriend.

"Mr. Malfoy," she called "here, have some lunch." She presented a tray that house elves had prepared.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Draco politely replied.

"You need to go to your classes after lunch, Mr. Malfoy. I am sure Severus will not be pleased if you skip it, and I won't allow it as well.

Draco sighed.

"He probably won't wake up until tomorrow. The potion he was given was a quite strong one."

Half an hour later, the boy left, and Madam Pomfrey stood there, watching over the young Ravenclaw. She decided it was time to make a full diagnosis of the boy. She had been very suspicious about the story that James Potter - James Potter! - was abusing that boy. It was almost an unbelievable story, yes, but if anything Poppy trusted Severus...

She could remember Severus and Lily Evans when they were in the school. Always together until when they suddenly grew apart - the reason she never knew. Lily then married Potter after school - the boy whom Severus hated. It must have been hard, she mused.

Not all the staff was fond of Severus Snape. He was not exactly a pleasant man, and didn't care about other's feelings. But if anything, he always spoke the truth. And that was why she was going to check if Harry Potter had really been abused.

She muttered a long spell in Latin. Beside her a quill began to write on a parchment the injuries and diseases the boy had suffered in the last five years.

The list was long, horrifying long; it contained the nastiest things in the world. From injuries certainly caused by punches to Unforgivables and to... Oh, Merlin! The boy was raped.

It made sense now why he had had a panic attack.

James Potter had done all of that to his own son! And the man was seen as an example by the whole wizarding world. Dumbledore himself trusted him! Severus had been telling the truth and almost nobody believed him.

Suddenly Poppy wasn't so terrified that Death Eaters had kidnapped the Auror - not that she would ever tell a single soul about that.

But there was something else on Poppy's scan: the fact that there were injuries probably caused by Harry himself on his arms, made less than a month ago.

She narrowed her eyes. The boy was obviously wearing a glamour. A powerful one, since the first thing she had done was cast a _finite incantatem_ to prevent that very situation. That was strange. Usually the students didn't know she did that and many of them could not cast that powerful magic: and sustain it being unconscious for so many hours. That, and the fact that those self-inflicted injuries were perfectly healed...

There was an accident in the third year Potions class, what busied the Mediwitch during the rest of the afternoon, and she forgot temporarily about the mystery that was Harry Potter.

At night Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood visited Harry, and left right before curfew.

The strange thing, though, happened later. None other than Severus Snape came to her hospital to visit the Ravenclaw.

Yes, surely, the man had treated Harry during the summer, but it was also very well known that Snape hated Harry Potter. Why would he bother in visiting him?

"Severus, may I help you?" she asked, catching Severus sitting in a chair beside the boy's bed.

"Poppy," he greeted politely "I came here to see if Mr. Potter was awake. I believe someone needs to find out who were the aggressors, no? Flitwick asked me to come."

Something was very wrong. Severus was a Potions master, for Merlin's sake! He knew that the potion given to Harry wasn't a mild one and that it would take at least eighteen hours for him to wake. And he would never bother to help Flitwick. And he hated Harry Potter.

"You know very well that he will take at least eighteen hours to wake up, Severus, you brewed that potion."

"Yes... So I believe I must go. Thank you, Poppy. Have a good night." he said and quickly stood up, intending to leave.

"I believe you, Severus," she said and he stopped near the door, turning to face her with a puzzled expression. "I performed a deep scan on him and I saw that it is true what his father did... That horrible man."

"Indeed," he said and Poppy noticed that there was hatred burning on his eyes.

"The boy must be suffering a lot because of his experience, Severus. I honestly think I should call a mind healer or a counselor."

"No!" he said hasty. "I don't think it is healthy or wise to expose the boy."

Poppy frowned. It was almost as if he... Cared.

"You may be right, Severus. Nevertheless, I think he really needs help. I will do what is best for my patient, you know it."

"Of course, Poppy, I would expect no less. Now I must be going. Good night."

"Good night, Severus."

Madam Pomfrey sat beside Harry's bed and looked at the boys face. His features were a mix - not quite Lily's and not quite James'... One of those children who look not exactly like none of their parents, even though you can notice some traces alike...

She frowned deeply. Honestly, the boy had nothing of Potter. He was just a mix of Lily and someone else.

Well... His black eyelashes were long just like...

Oh dear!

The shape of his mouth - thin - was also like...

Like Severus'.

Poppy's breath fastened as though she was finding a hidden truth about herself.

It did make sense if her observations were accurate. Severus was acting weird about the boy. He would never, ever, visit a student that wasn't a snake - and even some Slytherins he wouldn't bother.

And Severus and Lily had been close...

Maybe he had discovered that while he treated the boy in the summer.

Or when he treated the boy less than a month ago - added a little voice from the corner of her mind.

Of course, it had been Severus who healed the boy's self inflicted injuries.

She walked towards the floo, threw and handful of powder and shouted 'SEVERUS SNAPE!'


	11. What We Know

**Hello dear readers! This is probably the last chapter until next year. **

**Just a little ad: I started another story, it is called "The Scarecrow". It's another Drarry and with Severus playing a great role as well (just love the two Slytherins and Harry together). The story is majorly angst, hurt/comfort and romance. If you're interested, just check it on my profile after you read this chapter :)**

**Chapter 11 - What We Know**

When Madam Pomfrey demanded Severus come to the hospital wing, he felt worried. Had an accident happened? Or was it something wrong with Harry that she needed help with? When he indeed stepped out of the hearth he caught the Mediwitch looking at him with an intense gaze. He looked towards the bed in which Harry was, but the curtains were closed.

"What happened, Poppy?"

She just kept looking at him and then bit her lip. Severus frowned when the witch waved her wand in the clear pattern for a silencing spell.

"Do you know anything about Harry Potter that you didn't tell?"

It was Severus' turn to eye Poppy with suspicion. She looked determined - to drag the truth out of him, obviously. He cursed mentally. Granger had already discovered... But no, Poppy couldn't know that, how would she find out?

"What should I know about the brat?"

"For starts, the fact that he cut himself."

Oh, that. So she didn't know. Severus felt relieved.

"Poppy I wasn't aware of that."

"Oh, you didn't?" She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "So it wasn't you who healed the cuts on his arms?"

"No."

"I cast a _Finite_, you know, on every patient to remove any common glamour the students might be wearing. Funny that in Mr. Potter's case, it didn't reveal the scars on his arms. He had, however, a stronger glamour. I know that he is a very smart boy, but it makes me wonder how he knew I would cast a _finite_."

"Perhaps he already used this stronger glamour?" Severus tried.

"The glamour he had would have faded when I knocked him out with the potion."

"Maybe Draco or Miss Granger-"

"Maybe his father!" Severus was silent. Damn it. She knew.

"What are you babbling about woman? James Potter" the name was spat "was kidnapped by Death Eaters and he most certainly would not give a damn about whatever suffering this boy might go through!" He finished a bit more emotional than he intended to.

"I am not talking about James Potter, but his _father_!" Poppy said desperately, looking at Severus with bright eyes.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Don't be like this, Severus!" The witch snapped, "It is a good thing!"

"How did you find out?"

"I looked at him. It might not be obvious, but he has some of you in him. Obviously, he is your son after all."

Severus nodded and didn't know what to say next - an uncommon event.

"How did _you_ find out, and when?" She suddenly questioned in a clipped tone. "I do hope that you were not aware of this all these years..."

"Of course I didn't know! I am sure you can remember how much I hated Potter, the last thing I would allow is my son to live with him!"

As for how he found it out... Severus couldn't say that it was with Potter under Veritaserum, in front of the Dark Lord and his Inner Circle of Death Eaters, with some Unforgivables involved, could he?

"It was in the summer, when I treated him at Malfoy Manor."

"I suspected as much," Poppy said. "What are you going to do now?"

Severus sighed. He didn't want Poppy to know. She would just make a fuss and try to make him act like a bloody emotional person. Exactly what he didn't need...

"Does he know?" Poppy asked when he didn't answer the first question.

"Yes."

"You know, Severus, I think this is a good thing for you. This boy was so wronged in his life - Merlin be praised that the Malfoy boy takes care of him. But he grew up without a father, and worse, raised by a resentful and cruel man. I am sure that he misses it - to have a father, and an adult that looks out for him. You are a very lonely person and this... discovery will be a good thing for you too. Just try to stop being so stubborn as I know you are and open up yourself a bit. And don't you dare tell me that I'm being a bloody Hufflepuff!"

"I suppose your words are not totally wasted, Poppy."

"Oh, Severus, you could just say that I am right," Madam Pomfrey yawned and glanced around. "I will retire now, Severus. If you want to pass the night with Harry you are very welcome. If you think that he won't mind, that is. You don't need to make up any excuses for being here... And yes, I know I am not supposed to tell anybody about your relation to the boy."

"Thank you, Poppy. I will take your offer and sit by his side a bit."

Poppy smiled and Severus had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"Good night, Severus."

"Good night, Poppy."

The matron entered her private quarters, which was located right next to the hospital, in case she was needed in any emergency.

He walked towards Harry's bed and opened the curtains. He conjured a chair and sat near his son, taking a good look at him - now that there wasn't any Poppy to interrupt him.

The woman had told him that Harry did look like him - to some extent... He had never noticed that, even though his observations of the boy had increased a lot in the last weeks. He stared at Harry's face, trying to separate Lily's and his own features.

Well... He thanked Merlin that Harry had Lily's nose. His cheekbones were prominent like hers, as was his chin. Long, black eyelashes, just like Severus', but that hid Lily's eyes. He felt a burst of anger when James Potter's words came to his mind. The bastard said that Harry didn't deserve her eyes... And then he wondered why he had never noticed that the boy did have her green eyes through all those years. If he had noticed - not only seen - perhaps his verbal attacks would have been softer.

But it was no use, thinking of the past. He had known that treating Potter's sons the way he did was wrong, he just didn't care. In his opinion he had done worse working for the Dark Lord...

Harry shifted in his sleep, and Snape briefly wondered if he was having a nightmare despite the potion, but put the idea aside right away. He himself had brewed the thing, and it was a very strong one.

He also wondered who had attacked Harry - and Miss Granger - and vowed that once he found out, whoever the culprit was would be expelled. He hoped there was at least one Gryffindor in the lot. He summoned a quill and parchment and began to write what he was going to do tomorrow. First interrogate the Weasley girl, then Granger and Draco. Talk to Tonks, who was the last teacher Harry saw before the attack...

.

The Weasley girl looked guilty, that much Severus could tell... And it was just Gryffindor to attack someone and then help them to look like a hero, wasn't it?

Severus' lips were pursed while he watched the redhead girl. She looked guilty, yes, but not the 'I did it!' way, but the 'I know who did it, but a distorted sense of honour won't let me tell you' way, which only raised the Potions master's suspicion that he would talk with Minerva about the attack.

He thought about legilimizing the girl, but decided against it. The Weasleys were pureblood - even if they tried to 'deny' it - and who knows if they were trained - like most members of old families - to perceive a mental intrusion? Severus couldn't face even the slight suspicion, or he would be caught. Thank Merlin Potter was out of the game, or he would have persecuted his long time enemy for sure.

"Are you sure you are telling me everything, Miss Weasley?"

"Yes, sir," the girl replied uncomfortably. Definitely, she was hiding something. What about a mild truth potion? It would be undetectable after twenty-four hours... But who in their sane mind would accept to drink anything the git of Slytherin offered?

"I see. If you perhaps _remember _something don't hesitate to tell me. Now get out."

"Yes, sir."

.

"So, Miss Granger, did you notice anything uncommon yesterday?"

"I already told you... Wait!" the girl stopped and looked at Severus "There were some Gryffindor boys that were snickering and whispering - you know Gryffindors, they can't be discreet even if their lives are at sake," she added and Snape caught himself nodding in agreement with her statement. "And, well, maybe I am being a bit biased, because I hate Ronald Weasley, you know... But he would be on that corridor in the same time we were attacked, and he is an idiot."

For his part, Severus grabbed his chance of expelling a Weasley - one of the older ones, Percival, was _tolerable_, and the girl as well, but the rest Severus disliked, loathed, whatever you call it, with a passion.

"I see. Thank you, Miss Granger. You may go."

When the door was locked Severus was immerse in thoughts. It did make sense that a Weasley was involved in the whole ordeal, since Miss Weasley seemed conflicted about telling him whatever she knew...

He looked at the clock and noticed that Harry would wake up anytime soon and decided to go to the hospital wing - or, undoubtedly have Poppy shouting at him via floo.

.

When Harry woke up he groaned. He was in the hospital wing. Wonderful...

There was a soundly gasp from his mouth when Harry noticed that his glamour were not in place. Fuck. Now Pomfrey would make a fuss and call mind healers and all the crap he couldn't take. Fuck.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said smiling and putting some vials on the table beside his bed. "And don't worry about the glamours, I won't tell anyone. It is your own business," she said while Harry looked horrified at his arms. "Professor Snape insisted that this remains secret," the nurse added quietly and the teenager finally looked at her, a bit shocked.

Harry heard steps of someone else entering the wing and quickly tried to hide beneath the sheets. While Pomfrey looked to see who was there. Where was his wand? He needed to reapply the glamour.

"Good morning, Severus!" the woman said and Harry relaxed. He didn't need to hide it from the man, because he already knew all of his dirty secrets. Madam Pomfrey left them alone, saying that she needed to check her stocks or something like that.

"Hello Harry, good morning."

"Good morning sir."

"Take your potions and we will talk."

Harry had still to look at his father, feeling uncomfortable. Why was he there? Shouldn't he be teaching a class? Oh, it was Saturday... He took the two potions, not even wondering what they were and finally looked at Snape.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine, sir."

Snape nodded.

"Do you remember what has happened?" the man asked carefully.

"Not exactly, sir. It's all a bit... It feels like a haze."

"Miss Granger and you were attacked near the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. She was stunned, and you had a panic attack. Miss Weasley, a fifth year Gryffindor, found both of you. Apparently, you were out of yourself, and Miss Granger was forced to stun you. Coincidently, I was near, and helped somewhat. Madam Pomfrey and I thought that you should take a dreamless sleep - a stronger one... That is all." He paused. "Do you know who attacked you?"

Harry shook his head. He was trying to remember what happened.

And then the memories began to come back.

_'...Someone told us that you can scream like a slut.' _Oh Merlin.

_'...instead whoring yourself to a Slytherin.'_

.

Severus watched as Harry's face crumbled into a mask of pain and fear. What had they done to him? What could cause the boy to act like that? After everything that had happened one would think that an attack by other students wouldn't be that bad...

"Harry!" he called when his son began to whisper incoherent words. "Harry!" he insisted when the boy gave no reply.

"They know!" Harry whispered, his voice defeated and horrified at the same time. "It must be him who told them. They know."

Who knows what? Severus asked himself, a bad feeling beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. He watched, motionless, as Harry began to cry. Dear Merlin, he wasn't made to comfort, to calm people - giving them calming droughts didn't really count...

"Harry," he tried, using a soft voice that no student had ever heard from his lips - but this wasn't just any student, but his son. "Tell me what is happening. Maybe I can help."

The boy looked at him with a heartbreaking expression - his eyes bright with tears - and sobbed. Merlin help me so I can help Harry, Severus thought.

"They know what James did to me. He, Liam, told them."

Severus' eyes widened and his mouth went dry. At the same time, Harry doubled over and vomited, but as his stomach was empty, he stayed there, dry heaving, for some minutes. Snape used a cleaning spell and gave his son a calming draught.

"Harry, look at me," Severus asked and waited until the teenager looked at him - clearly embarrassed. "You have nothing to feel ashamed of, Harry."

Harry, however, didn't seem to believe that, and Severus didn't blame him. He himself was embarrassed for not knowing how to act in the situation.

"It...It will get better, Harry."

"I don't believe you."

"It will, Harry. I promise you."

His son's eyes widened, and Severus saw hope inside them. There was the boy who could cast Unforgivables and wanted to participate with a plan to break Azkaban's wards... Looking at him, Severus Snape - the man who treated him unfairly for years - that way.

He might not know how to comfort people, he didn't know how to act towards his son, and how to ease his pain. But he knew how to hurt people, and right then he vowed to find out who had attacked Harry and make their lives a living hell... And Liam Potter... Well, Liam Potter would soon be with his dear father if Severus could say anything about that.

"I will find out who did this, and they will regret it."

Harry only nodded, looking at his hands. Severus put his hand on the teen's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before calling for Poppy and walking out of the hospital.

He headed to the Gryffindor tower, stalking with long strides, a scowl fixed on his face - one that promised pain, death and damnation to anyone who dared to be in his way.

.

Harry couldn't believe that he had cried in front of Snape. Part of him expected a humiliating diatribe, scathing comments and a sneer of disdain. Nothing like that happened. Instead, Snape - his father - told him that everything would be all right. He even promised that; and honestly, the man had looked so assuring when he said those words that Harry allowed himself a little hope.

He didn't know what to expect, but he knew that he wouldn't ignore his father after that. Not anymore. Somehow he believed that finally someone would take care of him. An adult, a parent, something he dreamed of for a long time.


End file.
